


Scum’s Wish

by KoraSonata



Category: Supergirl, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Multi, ReignCorp, Sanvers - Freeform, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-03-16 05:10:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 22,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13629285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoraSonata/pseuds/KoraSonata
Summary: Lena is in love with Kara, and since buying CatCo, Lena now gets to see Kara all the time. However; much to her dismay, Lena discovers that Kara is in love with Mon-El. Meanwhile, Sam has fallen for Alex, but is devastated to discover that Alex is still in a relationship with Maggie. Together, Lena and Sam decide to begin a fake relationship to satisfy their loneliness from their respective unrequited loves.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the anime “Scum’s Wish”. I won’t follow the story line exactly, because I don’t particularly like the ending, but that is what it is based off of. 
> 
> Eventual Lena x Sam
> 
> Disclaimer: The characters of Supergirl do not belong to me.

_Hopeless love. Painful love. Unrequited love. Are they really so beautiful?_

Lena thought Kara was her soulmate. Nobody else had ever made her feel the way Kara does. Although, she supposed it wasn’t that big of a stretch. What with Kara being _Kara_. She had been with others before, but Kara was special. She couldn’t describe it really, but Kara made her feel differently. She made her feel...whole.

She stood in the empty hallways of the CatCo building, just outside of Kara’s office. She knows the blonde isn’t there, but she can’t help lingering; pressing a hand flat against the wood of the door, thinking of blonde curls and perfect smiles. _Kara..._

“Lena?”

Lena jumped, being jolted from her thoughts by the sound of her name. Turning towards the source, she finds the very person who had been plaguing her thoughts just mere moments before.

“Kara!” She smiled sweetly; quickly retracting her hand and hiding it behind her back, doing her best to look like she hadn’t just been obviously lingering in front of Kara’s office. “What are you still doing here?” Kara smirked.

“I could ask you the same question.”

Lena smiled impishly, offering a playful arch of an eyebrow. “Yes, well, I _do_ own the building.” Kara laughed.

“Ok, fair enough.” She held up her hands in surrender. Lena laughed. She loved their playful banter. “I was just on my way out, but I seem to have lost my-“

“Kara?”

Both women turned towards the sound of the new voice. Lena’s smile is suddenly gone, being replaced with a grimace. Standing in the doorway was a dark haired man, with dark eyes, and just a hint of stubble on his cheeks.

“M-Mon-El!” Kara stuttered, smiling widely. Mon-El stepped into the room. Lena glanced at his feet as he stepped forward; as if his shoes carried some form of lethal disease, and he was contaminating her perfect and pristine foors. She looked him up and down disapprovingly.

“Oh, hey Lena.” He says offhand, as if they had just accidentally bumped into each other at a bar, and were not currently standing in the multi-million dollar building that she herself owned. Lena crossed her arms defensively across her chest.

“Hey.” She says, purely out of formality. If Mon-El noticed any hostility in her voice, he didn’t comment or even seem to care, as his attention was already directed back at the blonde.

“Is there something you needed?” Kara asked, nervously twiddling her fingers. Lena rolled her eyes.

“Oh, right. You dropped this earlier.” He says, waving a pad of paper in front of him, like he had just forgotten about it until now.

“Oh! My reporters pad! I thought I lost it! Thank you so much!” Kara rushed forwards to collect her reporters pad, blushing furiously when their hands touched as she reached for it. Lena coughed.

“Well, I’d better be heading out. See you tomorrow Kara.” She said, suddenly feeling the need to get out of there as soon as possible.

“Kay! See ya Lee!” Kara called after her; completely oblivious to Lena’s own inner turmoil.

She thought it would get easier over time. Seeing them together. Kara and Mon-El had been dancing around each other for months now. She knew Kara liked him, but the thought that they had yet to make anything official gave her the smallest sliver of hope. A dangerous thing really. To hope for anything to happen with Kara. To hope for _Kara_.

Lena was in such a hurry to leave, that she wasn’t watching where she was going, and when she rounded the corner, she plowed straight in to Sam; who had been walking in the opposite direction. The two collided, causing a startled Lena to drop her stack of paperwork, which caused the pages to go flying in every which direction.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you!” Lena apologized, before quickly reaching down to pick up her stack of scattered pages. Sam paused, glancing behind Lena; where she could still hear the faint sound of Kara and Mon-Els laughter echoing in the empty hallways, before helping Lena to her feet.

Sam placed a comforting hand on Lena’s arm; giving a light squeeze, as she stared at her with knowing eyes. “Are you alright?”

Lena sighed, but nodded.

“Come on.” Sam stuck her hand out. “Let’s go home.”

Lena took her hand immediately; purely out of force of habit, lacing their fingers together, before the two once again started walking down the hall towards the exit. They didn’t speak until they got to the lobby, where 2 voices suddenly disturbed the silence.

Alex and Maggie were standing off to the side; Alex most likely waiting for Kara in order to drive her home. The couple seemed perfectly wrapped up in their own little world; Maggie leaning over and placing a delicate kiss against Alex’s temple. Sam stopped moving.

“Hey! Sam! Lena!”

Sam immediately plastered a fake smile on her face. “Alex! Hey!”

Alex hooked her arm through Maggie’s and smiled up at them. “You still want me to hang out with Ruby this weekend?” Lena felt Sam’s grip on her hand tighten.

“Actually, I had a change of schedule, so I don’t need a sitter anymore...I can hang out with Ruby this weekend.”

“You hear that babe? We get the whole weekend to ourselves...” Maggie says suggestively, leaning forward to press a kiss against Alex’s lips.

Alex smirked. “Can’t wait.” Sam’s hand twitched. Lena gave a reassuring squeeze.

“Well, we should be on our way. Have a good evening you two.” Lena says; sensing Sam’s desire to make a quick getaway, swiftly leading them out the front of the building and letting the doors slip shut behind them.

“Are you alright?” Lena asks, when they’re a safe distance away. Sam stares straight ahead.

“Fine.” She says through gritted teeth. Lena gives her hand a squeeze. Sam had been in love with Alex for a while now. But Alex was with Maggie. And Kara liked Mon-El. The two of them were really quite a pair.

Sam opened the passenger side door of Lena’s car, climbing into the front seat, where she waited for Lena to walk around the car and slip into the drivers seat.

The second the door was closed, Sam was upon her. She kissed Lena deeply and passionately, with all her strength. Mouths roamed hungrily, hands wandered desperately. Lena pulled her down by the scruff of her neck.

_Hopeless love. Painful love. Unrequited love. Are they really so beautiful?_

Their relationship was a complicated one. They were dating. But...

“ _Alex..._ ” Sam whispered against Lena’s lips, moving to kiss down her neck. Lena gasped.

“ _Kara..._ ”

They were each other’s replacements for someone else.


	2. Chapter 2

_3 months ago..._

Lena had been so excited to start her first day at CatCo. It had been a big step for her. She had never managed a media company, but it had been the right move. Lena was a smart business woman, and she knew expanding could only be good for her. Of course, it _did_ help that now; working out of the CatCo building, she would be in close proximity with her favourite ace reporter, who _just so happened_ to work just down the hall. She relished the idea of getting to see her best friend every day.

She was just on her way to see her favourite reporter, when she happened upon her a lot sooner than expected. She found Kara in the break room with Mon-El; where the blonde was currently enthralled in a fit of giggles. Mon-El had sat, producing a string of odd faces; in an effort to get Kara to laugh, by fashioning himself a make-shift moustache out of a piece of red liquorice.

“Nice to see my $750 million dollars were well spent.” Lena remarks dryly, throwing Mon-El a disapproving look. Kara looks up.

“Lena, look!” Kara took a strip of liquorice and held it against her own lip. “I have a moustache!” Lena rolled her eyes.

“Dork.” Lena replies, but she can’t help but smile. Kara always made her smile.

“You love me.” Kara says with a wink. _If only she knew how true that statement was._

“Oh, have you met Mon-El yet?” Kara asked. “He’s new, and super funny.”

Lena looked over at the man in question; who gave a muffled “Hey” in greeting, as he proceeded to shove 10 Twizlers into his mouth at once.

“Charmed.” Lena replied, unimpressed. “Well, I have to get back to work. Just wanted to stop in and say hi. You two have fun.” She says, already turning to leave.

“Kay. Have fun working Lee.” Lena glanced back at Kara briefly; who mouthed the words ‘ _he’s so cute_ ’ excitedly, before she turned once again and set off down the hallway. Lena felt a pang in her chest.

Suddenly, she wasn’t as excited as she had been that morning.


	3. Chapter 3

_3 months ago..._

“Have you seen that new Mon-El guy?”

“He’s so cute!”

“Cute? You mean hot!”

The excited whispers seemed to follow Lena as she made her daily rounds around the office. Mon-El, the new intern, seemed to be the topic of discussion for the day, and by the sounds of things, many had taken a _special_ interest in him.

“Do you think he’s single?”

“Maybe I should go talk to him. How’s my hair?”

“Are you kidding? A guy like that is totally out of your league.”

Lena locked her jaw, gritting her teeth together. _What was so special about this Mon-El anyway?_

She was still seething when she left the building at lunch to go pick up a coffee. She was so wrapped up in her own little world, that she didn’t notice a person running towards her. By the time either had noticed the other, it was too late, and they collided. Both were thrown backwards, and a white paper bag went sailing through the air.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t watching where I was-“ it was then that Lena looked up to see who she had run into. “Alex?”

“Oh! Lena, hey.” They smiled.

“What brings you to this side of town?”

“Oh, Kara forgot her lunch this morning. I was just bringing it to her. You know how Kara is about food.” Alex says, looking for the bag that she had dropped earlier; presumably the contents inside being Kara’s lunch. Lena was just about to start looking for it when suddenly another voice spoke.

“Alex?” Both women turned towards the sound.

“Sam! Hey!” Alex greeted happily. Sam smiled widely.

“I think you dropped this.” Sam says, holding up the paper bag she had dropped moments before.

“Oh, thanks!” She takes the offered object from the other woman. “Hey, you still want me to come over tonight?”

“Yeah. Ruby is so excited, she can’t wait to hang out with you. I think you’ve really made an impression on her.” Alex smirks.

“Yes, well-“ she gave an dramatic flip of her hair, “I’m a very impressionable person.” Sam laughed. “Can’t wait. And when you get home, you can tell me _all_ about how your board meeting went.” Alex added with a wink. Lena swore she saw the tint of Sam’s cheeks go 2 times darker. Sam only smiled wider.

“Hey! Alex!” Alex turned towards the person calling her to see a beautiful, dark haired woman running towards them. Alex smiled.

“Maggie!” Maggie joined their little circle, slightly out of breath, and carrying 2 take out bags from Noonan’s.

“Sorry I’m late, babe. The line was _ridiculously_ long.” Maggie leaned over and pressed a kiss to Alex’s temple. Sam’s smile disappeared.

“Did you manage to get my sandwich?” Maggie held up one of the bags with a smile.

“Extra bacon.”

“No tomato?”

“Just the way you like it.” Alex took the bag.

“You are my favourite person.” Sam frowned. Lena watched her reaction with interest.

“Oh! I don’t believe you two have officially met yet. Maggie, this is Sam. Ruby’s mom. She’s Lena’s CFO over at L-Corp, and she’s amazing.” Sam looked down at her feet nervously.

“Ah so you’re Sam. Alex has told me about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.” She began. Sam might have smiled, but what Maggie said next made whatever smile was about to appear die instantly on her lips. “I’m Maggie. Alex’s girlfriend.”

Sam paused. “...Girlfriend...right. It’s nice to meet you too.” Maggie smiled at her. Sam did her best to follow suit, but she was sure it came out as more of a grimace.

“Well, we’d better be going. It was nice to see you two.” Alex linked her arm through Maggie’s before turning to leave; glancing over her shoulder at the last minute to look at Sam. “See you tonight?” Sam smiled weakly.

“Yeah. See you tonight.”

Sam watched her leave sadly, but Lena wasn’t paying them any attention. She was watching Sam, who let out a defeated sort of sigh, as she watched their retreating forms. Lena knew that look. And she knew it well. Because it was the same look she got when she saw Kara with Mon-El.

_Now, this was an interesting development._


	4. Chapter 4

Something had changed that day. Lena realized that she was no longer alone. Sam was in the same predicament that she was. Sam understood. Of course, she was still miserable about her love life; or lack thereof. But misery loves company. And before they knew it, they were spending a lot of time together, and they had become quite close.

Which was how Sam; who had been quietly reading to herself from where she sat atop the couch in her living room, had suddenly found the silence of her house disturbed, when Lena had quite suddenly barged through her front door without warning.

“Ugh, I HATE my job!” She exclaimed, letting herself in, and throwing her purse down on a nearby chair in exasperation. Sam didn’t even blink.

“Booze is in the kitchen.” She stated, simply turning the page without so much as even looking up from her book. “Corner cupboard.”

Lena stalked into the kitchen; tossing her jacket haphazardly on the table as she passed, wasting no time in raiding her alcohol cabinet. “Are you here all by yourself?”

“Yep. Ruby’s at a friends.” Lena retrieved a glass from the cupboard, pouring herself a tumbler of scotch.

“I thought you were supposed to hang out with Alex tonight?”

“Oh, we were.” Sam replied bitterly. “Until Maggie surprised her with concert tickets to see the Bare Naked Ladies, and she canceled.” Her left eyebrow twitched, and she began to grip her book harder than was strictly necessary. Lena scoffed.

“Sounds like we’re both in need of some hard liquor.” She took a large gulp of the amber liquid, leaning across the kitchen island, and cradling her glass in her hands. “Do you think it’s unethical of me to want to terminate Mon-El’s employment by yeeting his ass into space?”

“The only thing unethical about it is that you think you somehow have the strength to throw him that far.” Sam flipped a page nonchalantly. “Maybe invest in a rocket launcher.” Lena took another sip of her scotch. “If you want him gone, why not just fire him?”

“Because he’s not _technically_ doing anything wrong. I can’t fire him just because.” She swirled the amber liquid around her glass distractedly. “Ugh, it’s not fair. Nobody is that perfect. He’s got to be hiding something.” Sam only hummed her acknowledgement.

It was then that Lena had really glanced over at the other woman; who had yet to move or even look up from her reading. Sam looked thoroughly distracted with her book, and it was apparent that her attention was clearly divided. Lena thought she needed to do something about that.

Setting her tumbler of scotch down on the counter, Lena quietly crept up behind the couch. She waited a moment; biding her time, before she pounced; wrapped her arms playfully around the other woman’s neck. “Gotcha!” Sam jumped.

“Did I scare you?” Lena asked playfully.

“What? No. Just...startled me is all.” Lena smirked.

“Oh really? I couldn’t tell.” Both parties laughed, but slowly their smiles began to vanish, and they became quiet. Lena didn’t move away.

“Are you sad?” Sam asked, after a long pause. Lena looked off into the distance.

“Are you?”

Neither said anything for a while. But it was suddenly as if they were thinking the same thing. Sam reached a hand upward to rest on Lena’s arm, which was still around her neck.

“Hey...” She said after a while. Lena turned her head ever so slightly.

“Hmm?” Sam paused.

“What if...you pretend I’m Kara?” Lena laughed.

“What? But you look nothing like Kara.” Sam rolled her eyes, swatting at Lena’s hand playfully.

“You’re way too demanding. Where’s your sense of imagination?”

Lena released her then, simply resting her arms on the back of the couch. “Well, how would you do it then?”

Sam finally closed her book; setting it on the coffee table, before she turned in her chair to look properly at the Luthor. “Close your eyes.”

Lena stared at Sam for a moment; before eventually allowing her eyes to slip shut, and she waited. Sam reached forward slowly, and gently cupped her left cheek with her hand. Lena inhaled sharply through her nose.

Tentatively at first, Sam leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against Lena’s temple; as if testing the waters. It was so easy if she just pretended that she was Kara. Of course, Lena knew Sam didn’t have feelings for her like that. But whether she saw Sam as Sam or not, it didn’t really matter. Because she was just a replacement too.

Lena’s fingertips were cold, and everything felt distant. All she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat. And then; with only a moments hesitation, Sam began to move lower, and captured Lena’s lips in her own.

When they separated again, there was a moment when they simply stopped and stared at each other, unable to really do anything else but gage the others reaction.

“Well?” Sam asked eventually, breaking the silence. Lena smiled ever so slightly.

“You’re a good kisser.” Is what she says. Sam rolls her eyes, breaking their eye contact, but Lena is suddenly reaching forward and taking hold of Sam’s hand in her own; directing her attention back to her again. Sam stares. “Do it again.”

And she does. She kisses her again. Just a brief peck at first, but then with more passion. And as she kisses her more deeply, Sam’s hands begin to wander; stroking up and down her arms and coming to rest under the curve of her breast. Things that Kara had never done. And things Kara would never do. Things that she wanted. “Touch me more.”

And so, they made a pact.

The rules were simple. They would say they were dating, and would be able to depend on each other if they needed to. If one was feeling lonely, what was wrong with wanting the other to hold you? If it just so happened that one of them would make it with the person they really loved, then their relationship ends. There was just one more simple rule. Neither could fall in love with the other.

In other words, they could have everything but feelings. 


	5. Chapter 5

“Saaaaam, are you ready to gooo yet?” Lena whines, rocking her feet back and fourth impatiently.

“Hold your horses, I’m coming. I just have to finish up the last of this paperwork.” Sam responds from where she currently sat at her desk in Lena’s old office; the tiniest twitch of a smile ghosting across her lips.

“As your girlfriend, I should inform you that if we don’t leave soon we’re going to miss our dinner reservations.” Sam looked up with a smile; raising her left eyebrow.

“ _Fake_ girlfriend.” She smirks. “And as my boss; and also the owner of this company, I feel you’d rather risk being late for dinner, than lose out on this merger because _somebody_ was impatient and wouldn’t let me finish my paperwork.” Lena groans.

“Ugh, fine. You win. Just...go a little faster? Please?” Sam laughs.

“I’m almost done. Why don’t you head down? I’ll only be a couple more minutes.” She looks up. “And I’ll probably get done a lot faster without your pacing to distract me.”

Lena stops; making a conscious effort to stop her pacing that she hadn’t realized she had been doing. She looks up at Sam, who simply smirks in amusement.

“Fine. I’ll go. But you better be down in 10 minutes or I get your extra slice of garlic bread at dinner.” Sam stares, mortified.

“Awe come on. That is _so_ not fair, you _know_ they’re my favourite!”

“Then I suggest that you don’t be late.” Lena smirked evilly. “Tic Toc.” Sam groaned.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the health nut? I thought you hated anything greasy and laced with carbs.”

“It’s garlic bread. The carbs don’t count.” Lena recites, like it’s common knowledge. Sam smiled. “9 minutes to go!” Lena calls over her shoulder as she saunters out of the room. Sam scrambles furiously with the remaining papers.

Lena had only been waiting in the lobby for a couple of minutes; glancing at the expensive watch adorning her wrist, before she got an unexpected surprise.

“Lena?”

Lena looked up towards the source of the voice, before smiling widely moments later.

“Oh my god, Jack?!” She exclaims excitedly. Jack smirks; giving a dramatic flourish of his hand.

“The one and only.” Lena rolled her eyes, but pulls him in for a hug anyway.

“What brings you to National City?” She inquires upon releasing him.

“Business. I’m here to give a presentation on my latest project, Biomax. I hope it will be the next biggest advancement in medical science.” Lena gasps.

“No way! I can’t believe you actually did it! How did you manage to pull it off?!” She rambles excitedly. Jack merely smirks, bringing a finger to his lips.

“A magician never reveals his secrets.” Lena swatted him playfully on the arm.

“Jerk.” He laughs. “How come you didn’t tell me you were in town?”

Jack shrugs. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Well I’m certainly surprised.” Lena smiles. All of a sudden, Jack looks down; fiddling with the sleeves of his suit.

“I, uh, did actually stop by for a reason...” He trails off. Lena raises a questioning eyebrow.

“Oh?” He hesitates.

“Well, it’s just been so long since I’ve seen you, I thought...” he reaches a hand up to scratch the back of his head, awkwardly. “Maybe you’d like to go to dinner tonight? To catch up..?”

Lena looks at him sadly. “Sorry Jack, but I can’t tonight. Sam and I already have dinner reservations.” She says apologetically.

“Oh yeah, your new girlfriend. It’s alright. Some other time then.” He says quickly.

“Sorry...definitely another time though.” Jack smiles.

“It’s alright. I mean she _is_ your girlfriend. She comes first.”

But Lena didn’t get a chance to respond. Because just then, Sam came running towards them.

“Hey, thanks for waiting.” She says upon joining them. “You will be happy to know that I finished all the paperwork, and with 45 seconds to spare; so that garlic bread is all mine.”

Lena smiles at Sam, but then glanced back towards her old friend. “Sorry Jack, I guess that’s my cue.” She slips her arm through Sam’s. “We’ll talk soon though, ok?” Jack smiles.

“Definitely. Have fun at dinner!”

But as Lena and Sam walked away, Jack’s smile began to fade.

“They make such a cute couple, don’t you think?” Someone says in passing.

Jack could only stare longingly after their retreating forms.


	6. Chapter 6

“You’re sure you didn’t want to go out with your friend tonight?” Sam asks, taking a sip of her wine. “I mean, you didn’t really _have_ to go out with me if you didn’t want to.” Lena smirks.

“She says _after_ we’re already at the restaurant.” Lena swirls the ice cubes around her glass of water. She had been labeled designated driver for the evening, and so had forgone her usual glass of wine. Sam smiles.

“Yes, well, I was promised garlic bread. What person in their right mind turns down garlic bread?” Lena laughs. “Seriously though. You don’t have to be here if you don’t want to.” Lena shrugs.

“Jack will live. Besides,” she glances at the wine glass in her hand, “if I leave, you’ll have to cab home. Someone’s already had over the legal driving limit.” Sam only smiles.

“That is true.” She says, holding up her glass. “What would I do without you?” She takes another sip.

“Speaking of.” Lena smiles impishly. “Are you ever going to let me try that wine?” Sam simply arches and eyebrow; setting the glass off to the side.

“Would you like to taste?” She enquirers mischievously. Lena raised an eyebrow in challenge, allowing her eyes to drift downwards and finally settle on Sam’s lips. Sam’s mischievous smile only grows wider, and she leans across the table, with Lena following suit; their faces inching closer together.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” A man yells, stopping them in their tracks before their lips could touch. They turn to see a very angry looking man, with short red hair and long moustache. He wore a purple suit and tie, and was currently glaring at them from a few tables over. Sam cocked her head to the side, staring at him questionably.

“Umm, kissing my girlfriend?” That only seemed to make the man more agitated.

“That’s disgusting! It’s disgraceful! You should be ashamed of yourself!” Sam looked at him squarely.

“Why? Because she’s a girl?”

“Because she’s a Luthor!”

Lena froze. Sam blinked, clearly taken aback.

“Don’t you know who that is?! That’s the Luthor bitch! The sister of that psycho Lex Luthor.”

Sam squared her jaw. “Excuse me?”

“Sam, it’s fine...” Lena said quickly. But Sam was having none of it.

“No. I wanna hear what he has to say.” She stared coldly at the man.

“You can pretend all you want. Change your company name, pretend you’re the victim. But we all know who you really are.” The man continued. “Can’t you see she’s using you? She’s just pretending, to get something out of it. That’s how it is with all the Luthor’s. They don’t care about anyone but themselves. They’re just lying, manipulative scum.” He stared coldly at Lena. “You’re a Luthor, and always will be.”

Lena really wished the ground would just swallow her whole. She wanted to be anywhere but there in that moment. Sam closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to 5. When she opened her eyes again, they looked like steal; her face looking like it had been carved from stone. Hard and cold.

“You know what sir? You’re _absolutely_ right. She _is_ a Luthor.”

Lena whipped her head around to look at the other woman. But she never got the chance to question her, because suddenly Sam is reaching across the table and cupping her face in her hands. And without even a moments hesitation, Sam surged forward and kissed her deeply; square on the lips, in front of the entire restaurant.

When she pulls away again, Lena can only stare in confusion. Sam takes one of her hands in her own, before once again turing to face the man.

“She’s _**my**_ Luthor. So back the _**HELL**_ off, asshole.”

The mans face turned bright red, and Sam could tell that he was seething; but instead of yelling at her again, he simply stood and stalked out of the restaurant; grumbling to himself along the way. Sam finally released Lena’s hand.

“Sorry about that.” Sam says apologetically. “I hope I wasn’t crossing a line or anything, but he was just such a _jerk_ , I couldn’t help it. I’m really sorry.” Lena looked like she was about to burst into tears.

“Oh no, don’t cry! Please! I don’t know how to deal with tears! I didn’t mean to make you cry!” Sam says quickly; suddenly panicking. But then Lena is laughing, and she smiles up at her.

“Thank you, Sam.” Sam’s eyes soften.

“You’re welcome.”


	7. Chapter 7

Sam and Lena had made a habit out of having lunch together on a regular basis. It was all part of their fake dating ruse. The more the public saw them together, the more believable their relationship was. And it wasn’t like spending time with Sam was particularly unpleasant. In fact, Lena had grown to look forward to their little ‘lunch dates’. However; being a Luthor, she was occasionally subject to little ‘hiccups’ as it were.

“Ah, Lena. Just the person I was looking for.” Lena paused mid bite; squaring up her shoulders and locking her jaw.

“Edge.” She smiled bitterly up at the man. “What an unpleasant surprise.”

Edge shifted his feet, standing over their lunch table on the balcony at CatCo with his hands in his pockets. He chuckled dryly.

“I heard about your little incident at that restaurant last night.” He says, throwing a sideways glance at Sam. “I hear you made quite the scene.” Sam merely glared at him.

“And, what?” Lena counters. “You came all the way over here to inform me of my tarnished public reputation?” She remarks dryly. “Seems a bit petty, don’t you think?” Edge smirks.

“Oh Lena, I’m sure I don’t need to inform you of something you already know.” Lena’s eyebrow twitched. “Typical Luthor response to assume everything is all about them.” He tuts. “But as luck would have it, I’m not actually here to see you. I’m here to see her.” He looks over at Sam, who freezes mid bite.

“Here to add her to your list of quarterly assassination attempts?”

“I’m here to ask her out.” Sam chokes on her food, coughing loudly several times, before looking up at him in shock.

“What?!” She squeaks. Edge stands up taller.

“What you did took guts. I admire that in a woman.” He smiles down at her. Sam looked like she was about to throw up. “We could be great together, you and I.” He says, reaching a hand towards her; as if about to caress her hair.

But he doesn’t get the chance. Because Lena had surged forwards and taken hold of his wrist with a vice like grip; glaring at him with fire in her eyes. “Touch her, and you lose your fingers.” She spat. Edge simply raised an eyebrow.

“Are you threatening me, Lena? That’s a criminal offence in some countries. I’d be more careful about that.” Lena cocked her head to the side, setting her jaw.

“And I’d be more careful about touching things that don’t belong to you.” She glared menacingly. Sam could only stare. “Now, I’ve been patient. But you’ve got some nerve barging in here and asking out my girlfriend while standing in my own building.” She seethed. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I am on a lunch date. So get out of my building, before I _throw_ you out. And we are 20 stories above the ground, so I really don’t think you’ll like how I do it.”

Edge ground his teeth together as Lena released her grip on his arm. He said nothing, only glaring, as he walked away in silence rather stiffly. Lena threw him one last dirty look for good measure, before sitting down once again. She sighed.

“Damn, I don’t think anyone’s ever threatened to throw someone off the balcony of a 20 story building for me before.” Sam smirks. Lena sighs.

“I’ll drop him out of an airborn plane if he ever tries to pull something like that again. I can’t _believe_ he asked you out. And then tried to _touch_ you.” She clenches her fist. “Who the hell does he think he is?” Sam raises an eyebrow with a pointed smirk.

“You sound almost jealous.” Lena rolls her eyes, but smiles.

“Maybe I’m just protective?” But as she watched Sam smile up at her, she wondered if that was really all it was.


	8. Chapter 8

Lena shuffled her feet impatiently as she waited for the elevator to bring her to the correct floor; bouncing excitedly on the spot with a wide smile spread across her face. Kara had invited her over to watch a movie, and she could barely contain her excitement. She was going to Kara’s apartment, where they would spend the whole evening together. Alone. She smiled.

When the elevator dinged, she practically bolted through the doors, jogging down the hall towards Kara’s apartment, where she stopping in front of the wooden door and gave a firm knock.

Kara appeared moments later; swinging the door open widely with a bright smile on her face.

“Lee!” Kara exclaims excitedly; immediately throwing herself upon Lena and enveloping the Luthor in a bone crushing hug, nearly picking her up off the floor. “I missed you!”

Lena laughs. “I see you every day at work, silly.” She says, returning her hug.

“Yeah, but it’s not the same! We’ve both been so busy I feel like I’ve hardly see you at all lately.” Kara steps backwards; ending their hug, but still not letting go entirely. Lena smiles.

“Well, now we have the whole night to spend together.” Lena smirks. “We have many a movie marathon to catch up on.” Kara only smiled wider.

“I’ll go get the popcorn!” Lena only giggled as she watched Kara skip away, off to the kitchen to fill up on snacks.

Lena stepped further into the apartment, slipping off her jacket, and making her way over to the couch. But before she could get there, something suddenly caught her eye. Sitting in the centre of Kara’s dining room table, was a vase filling with 12, bright red roses. Lena paused, walking over to the arrangement.

“These flowers are beautiful.” She remarks. Kara looks up from where she’s currently pouring herself a bowl of popcorn in the kitchen. She smiles.

“Aren’t they? Mon-El left them for me this morning. Wasn’t that nice of him?”

Lena stared at the arrangement. “Yeah...nice...”


	9. Chapter 9

Sam had arrived at Lena’s apartment the next morning. Lena hadn’t responded to any of her text messages the night before, and so she had become worried. Retrieving the key that Lena kept above the door, Sam carefully slipped it into the lock, before letting herself inside.

From the moment the door is opened, she is greeted with utter chaos. Lena’s apartment; which was usually kept very neat and tidy, was a disaster zone. Her shoes and coat had been left in a heap at the front door, her clothes she had been wearing the night before were thrown haphazardly about. Empty bottles lay scattered, several books had been knocked from their shelves, and some very loud music was currently blasting from somewhere in the apartment. _Was Lena listening to Taylor Swift?_

“Lena?” Sam called tentatively; closing the door behind her, before carefully stepping over Lena’s jacket and walking further inside. She got no reply, but as she walked into Lena’s living room, she found the C.E.O. standing in front of the TV. Lena had her hair done up in a messy bun; wearing a baggy t-shirt and a pair of red track pants covered in white stars, and was currently dancing wildly to a karaoke track playing off of the tv. She sang loudly and out of tune; clutching an almost empty bottle of whiskey that she was currently using as a microphone.

“Cause she wears short skirts!!  
I wear t-shirts!!  
She’s cheer captain and  
I’m on the bleachers!!  
Dreamin’ bout the day  
When she’ll wake up and fiiiind  
That what she’s lookin’ for  
Has been heeeree the whole tiiiiime!!

If you could seeeee that I’m the oneee who understands you!!  
Beeeeeen here allllll alooooong so why can’t you seeee??  
You belong with meeee!!  
Yoooou belong with meeeee!!”

Sam blinked, unsure of how exactly to process what she was currently seeing. “...Lena..?” She says tentatively, as if unsure that this person in front of her was really Lena.

Lena turns, smiling widely up at Sam. “Saaaam!! Come sing with meeeeee!!” Sam blinks, but can’t help but smile at the ridiculousness of the whole situation.

“How drunk are you right now?” She asks, eyeing the bottle currently clutched in the other woman’s hand. Lena swats her hand in the air.

“Meh, tipsy.” She replies simply, taking a swig from the bottle. Sam stares at her.

“What happened?” Lena scoffs.

“Oh, nothing. Just the person I love is in love with someone else.” She takes another sip. Sam looks at her sadly. “Mon-El is perfect! He’s hot, funny, makes liquorice moustaches, and brings her flowers! How am I expected to compete with that?” She laughs dryly; stumbling slightly, before grabbing another bottle of whiskey from the coffee table. “So, Sam!” She holds the bottle out to the other woman. “Come and sing with me!”

Sam only hesitates a moment, before reaching forward and taking the bottle.


	10. Chapter 10

“I knew you were trouble when you walked iiiiiin!!  
So shame on me nooow!!  
Flew me to plaaaces I never beeeeen!!  
Til’ you put me down ohhhhh!!”

Lena and Sam stood in the middle of Lena’s living room, both singing loudly and off key. They had been at this for several hours, and neither party was what you would consider sober.

“I knew you were trouble when you walked iiiin!!  
So shame on me noooow!!  
Flew me to places I never beeeeen!  
Now I’m lying on the coooold haaard grooound!!  
Ooooooh!!!  
Oooooooohhhhhhh!!  
Trouble!! Trouble!! Toubleeeeee!!”

Lena suddenly sank to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs, and cradling her now-empty whiskey bottle in her lap; finally collapsing after having been drunk rage singing for the last several hours. She rested her head on her knees as her eyes welled with tears, letting out a small sniffle. Sam stopped singing and moved to sit down on the floor beside her. Wordlessly, Lena allowed her head to slump over and come to rest against Sam’s shoulder.

“You get it, right?” Lena asks after a while, without looking up. “You’re in the same situation I am...” she sniffed. “It’s not a matter of giving up or not...once you fall for someone, it has to be them...” Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“I get it.” She says, allowing her own head to rest against Lena’s. “I get it...why did I fall for them right...?” She lets out a sad sort of chuckle. “But...it’s not all painful...” She thinks of Alex. “...that’s why I can’t bring myself to wish that I’d never met her...” she strokes Lena’s hair fondly. “But...that almost makes it even worse...”

They’re silent for a moment; reflecting, before Sam shifts; reaching a hand over and tilting Lena’s chin towards her. Her eyes drift towards her lips; settling there for a moment, before she leans in and kisses her soundly.

When they separate again, there’s a moment when they simply stare at each other; close enough that they can still feel the others breath ghosting over their cheeks. Sam allows her fingers to slip into Lena’s hair; her hooded eyes flickering between Lena’s eyes and her lips. She pauses. “Stick out your tongue.”

Lena hesitates briefly; her cheeks flushed and her eyes flickering to look at the other woman’s lips, before she allows her own lips to part ever so slightly. Sam closes the gap between them again; allowing her tongue to slip inside the other woman’s mouth, and leaning her backwards until Lena’s back hits the floor. Lena only pulls her closer.

Sam allows the hand that’s not currently tangled in the other woman’s hair to roam over Lena’s body; grasping at random patches of clothing, until eventually her hand finds itself beneath Lena’s t-shirt, and pressed flat against her bare stomach. Sam freezes.

Logically, she knew that they had talked about this. Everything except feelings was fair game. They had discussed it. But at the same time, she knew they had never actually gone much further than a few wandering hands over clothed skin. And at that particular moment, both had consumed large quantities of alcohol, and neither one of them was particularly sober. And so she pulled away. Lena stared up at her in confusion.

“Sam?” Sam turned to look at her again; the Luthor’s hair having fallen out of its bun, leaving her messy strands to fall loosely about her shoulders.

“No.” Sam reached forward to tuck a strand of hair behind the other woman’s ear. “...don’t you mean Kara?”

Lena blinked, then looked away. “Yes...you’re right.”


	11. Chapter 11

“No no no, and a thousand times _**no**_.” Lena stalked into her CatCo office, followed closely behind by Winn and James, who were scrambling to keep up with her.

“Awe come on, Lena! Please? We’re desperate!” Winn begs. Lena whirls around quickly; stopping in her tracks, and pointing a finger in his face.

“Let me get this straight.” She says. “You want to go out to dinner with me, so you two can spend the evening picking apart my love life, because you’re having trouble finding a _date_?” Winn and James looked at each other, before replying in unison.

“Umm...yes?” Lena’s eyes flared.

“ _ **Hell**_ no.” She stalked over to her desk, before taking a seat.

“Awe come on, please Lena? We could really use your help.” Lena closed her eyes; rubbing small circles against her temple.

“Isn’t there someone else you can annoy? Friends? Family?” She paused. “Poisonous reptiles?”

Winn stared at her quizzically. “Did you just quote Ice Age?” Lena glared.

“Wouldn’t you rather ask Kara?” She sighed. “Or anyone else, really? Why me?” James stepped forward.

“We love Kara, but as much as she’s already got her eye on someone, she’s still single. You and Sam have been together for a while now. You two look so happy. You’re like the perfect couple. All we’re asking is for some advice.” Lena looked between the two of them.

“Just think about it?” Lena sighed.

  
“What do you think I should do?” Lena asked Sam later. Sam shrugged.

“Seems fine to me. I think you should go.” The pair walked casually down the street.

“But what am I supposed to talk about though?” She asked. Sam hummed.

“Yeah, I guess you really don’t have a lot of friends to know the experience.” Lena balked at her, slightly offended.

“I totally have friends.” She stated.

“I don’t count, because we’re _technically_ dating. And you have a crush on Kara, so it’s not really the same. You got somebody else is mind?” Lena hesitated.

“Well...there’s...Jack...”

“And who else?” Lena didn’t answer. Sam raised her eyebrows and smirked, like her point had just been made. “That’s why I’m telling you that you should go.” Lena sighed.

“Alright...” Sam bumped her shoulder playfully.

“Good luck.”


	12. Chapter 12

So that was how Lena had come to be sitting in a booth at your average run-of-the-mill diner; sipping from her glass of Coca Cola using a straw, with Winn and James sitting across from her.

“So, here’s the situation.” Winn begins, taking one of his fries in his hand, and using it to gesture about wildly. “So, a while ago I was dating this girl named Siobhan, and we had been together for a while until she cheated on me with this chick named Leslie, who was a bit of a prick, but that’s besides the point-“ Lena took a deep breath, taking a sip of her coke. She got the feeling she was going to be in for a real roller coaster. Winn continued.

“Anyway, after a while I started seeing this chick named Lyra, and it was a bit of a complicated relationship; what with her being an alien and all, but we had been seeing each other for a while and I really liked her, but then suddenly Siobhan came back saying how sorry she was and how she still loved me; and I obviously still had feelings for her right, so I decided to go back with her, but then I felt bad about leaving Lyra, and started seeing her again, and now I’m seeing both of them and I can’t decide between them.” Lena promptly choked on her drink.

“ _What_?!” She practically screeched. “So you’re basically doing the exact same thing that Siobhan was doing!” She exclaimed in exasperation.

“Well, I mean I guess that’s true, but-“

“I’ve been telling him to be with Lyra. What do you think Lena?” James interjected. Lena took a deep breath, counting to 5 in her head. _I think I’m surrounded by idiots..._

“Well, who do you like more, Winn?” She says instead. Winn looks thoughtful for a moment, before speaking.

“Hmm, I don’t know. I can’t decide.” Lena blinks.

_What do you mean you can’t decide? How can you not decide? If I could be with Kara right now, I would...And Sam would be with Alex if she could...how can you not decide?_

“I’m not sure I can really help you out with this one...” she says eventually.

“I still say you should be with Lyra. She’s hot.”

“You think so?”

“Well, if you really like both of them,” Lena interjects, “Maybe it’s better to be with neither of them? As much as it hurts, it’s probably better to just feel the pain than be with either of them.” Winn and James looked at her like she’d grown a second head.

“Well, I don’t know, it’s not that I like them so much that it hurts. It’s that it’s painful trying to decide.” He scratches the back of his head awkwardly. “I don’t want to make the wrong choice, you know?”

“Yeah, don’t want to regret it later.” James says. “So just go with Lyra already!”

“But Siobhan’s got great hair...”

“But you have less baggage with Lyra!”

“What do you think, Lena?”

Lena could only stare owlishly up at them, like they were speaking a different language. _Are they actually being serious? How can they not decide?_


	13. Chapter 13

Jack found himself sitting in a small cafe; coffee in hand, with Lena sitting across from him. The Luthor had called sometime that morning to ask if he could do lunch that afternoon. He was only too happy to accept.

And so, the two had sat; for the better part of an hour, talking of everything and nothing, as they once again became up to date on the events of the others lives, over a cup of coffee.

However; once Lena had finished her coffee, she suddenly became quiet, staring at her empty cup intently, and fiddling with the cardboard rim.

“...Jack?” She says eventually, without looking up from her hands.

“Hmm?” He replied, taking a sip of his coffee. Lena paused.

“Do you...have a crush on someone?” Jack almost spit his mouthful of coffee clean across the table.

“W-what?!” He sputtered. “Where is this coming from?” He tried to deflect, but it didn’t work. Lena knew him too well. She smirked.

“Ah, so there is.” Jack looked away from her, avoiding his answer by simply taking another sip of his coffee. Lena spoke again; distractedly staring at her coffee cup. “You didn’t fall for them because you thought they were good looking or had great hair, or anything, right?” Jack blinked, taken aback.

“Uh...” Lena looked up at him, staring with her big, intelligent eyes filled with wonder. His eyes softened. _She just looks so pure._

“Well, I mean, I guess their looks and abilities are a part of them.” He began. “But I didn’t fall for them because of their looks or because they were talented...I mean I didn’t fall for them because I would get something out of it or anything...” he trailed off.

“Oh thank _god_!” Lena says suddenly. Jack looked over at her, slightly confused. “This is why I love you so much!” Lena exclaims, her smile lighting up her entire face, as she reaches across the table and takes Jacks hand in her own. Jack tries to hide the blush currently spreading across his cheeks by taking another sip of coffee. “That’s not what falling for someone is about...” She says distractedly, though with a smile. Jack stares at her for a long time, before speaking again.

“Hey, why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?” He asks. “I’ll make you dinner, we can watch a whole bunch of sci-fi movies, it’ll be fun.” Lena smiles.

“Alright, but let’s make it at my place. I still have a bunch of paperwork to catch up on, and your kitchen is highly questionable.” Jack rolls his eyes, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

“Alright. Fair enough. I’ll come make you dinner at your place then.” But what Lena says next has him questioning this idea.

“Sounds like you’ve got yourself a crush too. I can’t wait to hear all about it.” She says with a wink. Jack suddenly began to panic.

_Crap_. 


	14. Chapter 14

“ _So you only get along with Jack, huh._ ” Sam says over the phone. Lena was currently sat at her kitchen island; wearing Sam’s baggy National City University sweater, getting a head start on her paperwork, with her cell phone set off to the side on speaker. “ _So much for making new friends..._ ” Lena laughed.

“Shut up. Jack’s all I need.” She says happily, signing at the bottom of a page. Suddenly, there is a knock at her door. “Oh! That’s probably him! I’ll talk to you later, Sam!” She says, before hanging up the phone and running to get the door.

Jack is standing there patiently, wearing a simple grey t-shirt covered over by his black leather jacket that he had left unzipped. Lena smirked.

“I’ve been expecting you.” She says with a waggle of her eyebrows. Jack laughs, bringing a hand out from behind his back to reveal a brand new bottle of Lena’s favourite scotch.

“I brought this. I know it’s your favourite.” Lena gasps, smiling widely before taking the bottle from his hands.

“You are my favourite person.” She says, taking the bottle back inside. Jack could only smile as he stepped inside her apartment.


	15. Chapter 15

Jack and Lena had been friends since they were kids. In fact, Lena had been his biology tutor. That was how they had met. His teachers had written him off. They said he was hopeless and didn’t have a hope in hell of passing. But that never deterred Lena. She was determined.

For countless hours she had come over to help him study, sacrificing her own time so that he could pass this course. And he did. He got the second highest mark in the class, right after Lena. Everyone else had given up on him. But not her. Lena had believed in him. Lena had been the only person who had ever truly believed in him.

They had grown closer over the years; the pair often working together out of his parents garage trying to find a cure for cancer, using nanotechnology. It was Lena’s design, really. Lena was always the genius. Jack thinks it was her intellect that had drawn him to her in the beginning. The two of them made the perfect team. And the more he saw of her, the more he began to realize that he was slowly falling in love with her. Lena was his first love.

  
“So we went to dinner because they wanted to talk about dating.” Lena says without looking up from her paperwork from where she sat atop one of her kitchen island stools. “They were all like ‘she’s got great hair’ and ‘I can’t choose between them.” Jack glanced up from where he had been cooking on her stove. “I mean if they decide like that, they’re not going to end up with either of them, you know?”

Jack watched as Lena kicked her legs out and allowed them to innocently swing back and forth beneath the stool. He smiled as she absentmindedly chewed on the back of her pen, as she continued to read through her paperwork. He smiled to himself. She looked so cute. _You’re so pure Lena._

Suddenly, her eyes became distant, her legs ceased their swinging, and her pen stopped writing. He was about to ask her what was wrong, when she suddenly spoke under her breath; so softly that it was just above a whisper, staring at a single spot somewhere off in the distance.

“ _You’ll end up alone..._ ” was all she said.

Jack got the feeling he wasn’t supposed to hear that.


	16. Chapter 16

Watching movies was something they did often. Curled up on the couch, buried under piles of blankets, popcorn bowl somewhere within reaching distance. They had done it countless times growing up, and it had never been weird then.

He supposed it really shouldn’t have felt too different now. He had known he liked her, even back then. But Jack could tell something was on the Luthor’s mind tonight, and he supposed she wasn’t exactly paying attention to how their proximity was a lot closer than normal.

Lena’s eyes were on the tv screen, but she appeared lost in thought. Her gaze never wavered as she absentmindedly allowed her body to slump over so that her head was resting comfortably against his chest. He could feel himself blush as his heart began to pound at the contact. _Oh crap, she’s going to hear it..._

With her close proximity, he found it increasingly more difficult to focus on the movie. Instead, he was focusing on her. On how warm her body felt, on how her hair smelled faintly of her flowery shampoo, on how he just wanted to run his fingers through it, and-

“Jack?” Lena spoke suddenly. He froze; worried for the briefest second that she could somehow read his mind. But when he looked down at her, her eyes were still pointed towards the tv.

“Hmm?” He said. Lena sighed deeply.

“What’s your crush like?” She asked without so much as turning her head. An innocent enough question, but one that caused him to choke on his words.

“M-my crush?” He managed to sputter out. Lena did turn to look at him now, staring innocently up at him with wonder in her beautiful, intelligent eyes. Eyes that glistened like emeralds. She smiled up at him.

“Mhm. I want to know. Tell me. Please?” She asked. Her eyes sparkled, and he knew he was screwed.

He scooted back from her so that he could see into her eyes properly. He couldn’t hold back any longer. And without any warning, he reached forward; gently caressing her cheek, and he kissed her.

When he pulled away again, Lena was looking at him, confused.

“Jack?”

“You don’t really like Sam that much, do you.” He said suddenly. Lena blinked; this clearly being the last thing she had expected him to bring up at this moment.

“W-what?”

“Why? Why do you pretend that you like her?” He questioned again. When she said nothing, he continued. “This is a gamble, but I sense that something’s out of place. If I’m wrong, then I’ll move on.”

“I...I don’t know what you’re talking about...” she said, but she hesitated.

“I know.” He said firmly. “I know because I _know_ you, Lena. I can tell.”

“Jack...there’s...”Lena paused; taking a deep breath, before continuing. “There’s someone that I like.” She took a deep breath. “But...that person doesn’t like me back...That’s why I’m with Sam.”

Jack only stared. Lena looked away, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. “Are you disgusted with me?” She questioned weakly. Jack took hold of her hand.

“Why does it have to be Sam?” He says suddenly, taking her off guard. “If that’s the reason, then it doesn’t have to be Sam. Why can’t it be me?” He says determinedly. Lena blinked up at him. This wasn’t the sort of reaction she was expecting. “I could comfort you too.”

Jack took both of her hands in his own, staring seriously into her eyes. “Lena...I love you.”


	17. Chapter 17

“Hey, are you alright?” Sam asked the next day when the pair had gone on their regularly scheduled lunch date. “You’ve been out of it all morning.”

Lena looked up at the other woman who stared at her with concern.

_“Why does it have to be Sam? If that’s the reason, then it doesn’t have to be Sam. Why can’t it be me?”_

Lena sighed.

_“Lena...I love you.“_

“Actually...I’m feeling a little nauseous...” she stood from their lunch table. “I think I’m going to step outside for a minute...”

Sam immediately started to get up as well. “Well, I’ll go with you-“

“No!” Lena said quickly. Sam froze. Lena took a deep breath. “I mean, I’m fine.” Sam gave her a questionable look. Lena’s voice softened. “Really. I just need some air. That’s all.”

_“I’m sorry, Jack...I just can’t...”_

Lena walked casually through the park with her hands in her pockets. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing - she felt awful.

_“Why? Why am I any different from Sam? I love you, Lena! So why can’t it be me?”_

Lena squinted her eyes shut.

_“There’s nothing more revolting than the affection of someone you’re completely disinterested in, is there?”_

She knew it was harsh, and she had hated herself for saying it. But she’d had to. She couldn’t give him any false hope. She just didn’t look at him that way. It was the right thing to do.

_“I’m sorry if I revolted you...”_

Lena sighed. She had no idea that being the object of someone’s desires was so heavy.

She sat upon a bench off to the one side of the path.

_Why does it have to be Sam? It doesn’t have to be Sam...right?_

Lena took out her phone, scrolling through her contacts before she found Sam’s number. She stared at it.

_“You’re in the same situation I am. Once you fall for someone, it has to be them.”_

She let the phone drop to her side; coming to a realization. _I can’t choose between them..._

_“I mean if they decide like that, they’re not going to end up with either of them, you know?”_

Lena sat at a bench along the park path, watching the people go by.

_“You’ll end up alone...”_

She looked towards the city.

_I’m no better. I’m just running away too..._


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would like to appolagize in advance for this chapter if anything seems off. I’ve never actually tried writing anything like this, so this is a first for me.

_Lena stood above her; hovering just above where Sam currently lay atop her bed. She’s wearing nothing but a long, black overcoat, with her hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. Lena smiles affectionately; reaching a hand down and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear._

_“Sam...” Lena leans forward; kneeling on the bed beside her, and allowing her overcoat to fall from her shoulders, revealing a dark, purple lace bra. Her hair looks so soft as it falls about her shoulders; the Luthor straddling her lap, placing an arm on either side of her head._

_“Lena...”_

_Lena leans down, diminishing the gap between them. Sam thought she was going to kiss her, but instead, the Luthor turns her head; leaning in close, and giving her ear a soft nibble. Sam takes a sharp intake of breath._

_The Luthor continued to kiss down her neck; slowly undoing the buttons of her silk pyjama shirt as she goes, until finally pushing the fabric aside to reveal her bare midriff._

_Lena continues lower. Kissing her neck. Her shoulder. Her collar bone. She reaches upwards; palming her breast in her hand, as she leaves a trail of open mouthed kisses down her body. Lena peeks up; smirking at the other woman, as she allows her tongue to swirl around her navel. Sam gasped; reaching down and allowing her fingers to slip into the Luthor’s hair, caressing her cheek with her thumb. She stared down at her lovingly._

_“Lena...” Lena smiled._

  
Sam awoke suddenly; finding herself alone in her bed, and finding herself to be very hot and slightly aroused. She’d had dreams like this before; but those had all been about Alex. Her dreams had never surprised her before. She liked Alex, and wanted to be with her. It was only natural. But, this was different. Because she hadn’t pictured Alex. She’d pictured Lena. And what’s more, is that she hadn’t _minded_. She had _liked_ it.

She sat up; running a hand through her hair. _What does this mean?_

There was a knock on her bedroom door then. She froze. Ruby was at camp. There shouldn’t be anyone home but her. She took a deep breath.

“...Hello..?” Her door creaked open, revealing a single figure standing in the doorway. Sam inhaled sharply.

“...Lena?”


	19. Chapter 19

Lena sat at her desk at L-Corp, a stack of paperwork in front of her. She sighed, staring out the window. It’s dark outside; the sun long since having disappeared beneath the horizon. She stared at her pile of paperwork. She didn’t really have to be here. None of these papers were urgent. She was stalling.

_Why does it have to be Sam? It doesn’t have to be Sam...right?_

She threw her pen down in exasperation; standing from her chair and stalking towards the door. If she wasn’t going to get any work done, she might as well go home. She had found she had been unable to focus all day; Jack’s words going through her head on a loop.

“ _Why does it have to be Sam? If that’s the reason, then it doesn’t have to be Sam. Why can’t it be me?”_

Lena sighed. Jack did have a point. She had told him that the only reason she was with Sam was because she couldn’t be with Kara. They had both started all of this with the premise that they would be there to comfort the other if they were ever feeling lonely. To be there to fill the others desires should they arise. But if that was the only reason, then it really didn’t have to be Sam. If that was the only reason, then the person she was with really shouldn’t have mattered. It could have been Sam, or Jack, or anyone else really. It shouldn’t have mattered. It should have been as simple as that. And yet, when he had suggested it, she froze.

The thought of being with someone other than Sam just felt...off. With Sam, things felt easier. Things never felt complicated with her. If she wanted to kiss her, she could. If she wanted to touch her, she could. If she wanted to talk to her, she could. There was no awkwardness. They could joke, and talk, and laugh together. She felt...comfortable with Sam. More so than with anyone else.

“ _You’re in the same situation I am..._ ”

Was that really all it was? That they simply shared this mutual understanding for each other? She loved Kara. But Kara was in love with someone else. Sam was the only person who truly understood that. Was their closeness solely based on their mutual understanding for their own respective unrequited loves? Was that why being with Sam somehow felt different than anyone else?

No...there was something special about Sam. Sam was...different. Sam made her feel things that she was sure she wouldn’t feel from just anyone. In fact, there was only 1 other exception she could think of. _Kara_.

And that thought scared her a little. She was starting to feel things for Sam...things she had felt about Kara.

_Sam, Kara, Sam, Kara..._

She supposed it really shouldn’t have mattered. It wasn’t like she could be with either of them. Kara liked Mon-El, and Sam liked Alex. She was starting to think maybe she had a type. _People I can’t have..._

She wasn’t sure how exactly she had wound up at Sam’s house. She hadn’t exactly been paying much attention to where she was going when she was driving home. She hadn’t meant to wind up there, but she had felt...lonely. She supposed going to Sam’s house was just a reflex at this point.

She knocked on the door. No one answered. Not surprising. It was quite late. But she wanted to see her. She needed comfort. She tried the doorknob. The door swung open.

She didn’t feel odd about letting herself in. She had barged in on several occasions without warning, and Sam had done the same. It was something they did when they were lonely or upset. Like each found comfort in the other.

She walked through the hallways, feeling her way along the wall, until she had reached Sam’s bedroom. The door was closed. Again, not surprising. It was late, and she was probably sleeping. She knocked on the door; half expecting no one to answer, but there was only a slight pause before she heard a voice from the other side of the door.

“...Hello..?” She pushes the door open. Sam blinked up at her.

“...Lena?”


	20. Chapter 20

“...Lena?” Sam stared at the woman in disbelief. The Luthor smiled at her sadly.

“Hey...” Sam blinked.

“...How..?? How did you get in here...?” Lena started to walk towards her, and it was then that Sam had remembered she had neglected to wear pyjama pants that evening, and had instead gone to bed wearing a simple pair of black underwear. She quickly took a fist full of blankets, pulling them around herself.

“I knocked, but the door wasn’t locked.” She says simply, crawling into bed beside her. Sam blushed furiously. She just _had_ to crawl into bed with her after she had just woken up from having a fairly heated dream about the Luthor. And while she’s not wearing any pants. _She has terrible timing..._

“Is that so...” She says lying back down again, doing her best to ignore the Luthor. A feat that soon turns impossible when suddenly Lena has pressed herself up against her back; draping a hand over her midsection, and cuddling up to her. Sam squints her eyes shut.

“It’s way too hot for this...” She tries, but to no avail.

“The AC is blasting in here.” Lena replies simply; nuzzling her nose against her shoulder. Sam takes a deep breath. _This is terrible timing..._

Her eyes fly open when she suddenly feels the other woman press a series of feather light kisses against the back of her neck. The Luthor rubs her foot against her bare leg; lightly trailing her fingers up the other woman’s side. Sam felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

_She just had to decide that she wants to do this now...of all times..._

Lena’s hand trailed lower; moving from her side...brushing over her midsection...circling her hip...over the waistline of her underwear...until finally touching her _there_. Sam gasped.

“Is this ok?” Lena asks, rubbing circles over the fabric of her underwear. Sam’s breath hitched; squinting her eyes shut, as she drew in a breath of air sharply; simply nodding her head in response.

_Don’t think of Lena, don’t think of Lena, don’t think of Lena..._

Lena kisses along her shoulder; resting her chin in the crook of her neck.

_Think of Alex, think of Alex, think of Alex..._

She had to think of Alex. Feelings were against their rules, and she knew it. That was their rule. If either caught feelings, then their relationship would stop. And she didn’t want to stop. Lena slips her fingers beneath the fabric; touching her skin.

_Think of Alex...!!_

Alex’s name slips from her lips; in the hopes that vocalizing the name will somehow bring her to mind, but she goes over the edge thinking of Lena.


	21. Chapter 21

Lena wasn’t really thinking when she had crawled into bed with Sam. They had cuddled often, and it had never been weird then. If one was lonely, what was wrong with wanting the other to hold you?

Logically, she knew they had talked about this. Everything except feelings was fair game. But that was the thing. There _hadn’t_ been feelings before. But now she didn’t know. She was conflicted

_Kara, Sam, Kara, Sam..._

She had to know. She had to find out if what she was feeling was anything real. She needed to touch her; to _feel_ her. And she needed to think of _Sam_.

“Is this ok?” She asks, trailing open mouthed kisses along the back of the other woman’s neck; allowing her hand to travel below her waistline. Sam only nodded.

Lena couldn’t help but smile against the other woman’s skin when Sam had squinted her eyes shut; letting out a small gasp. _She’s just so...cute._

She couldn’t help but marvel at the softness of her skin against her lips. Or the unmistakably feminine curve to her hip. Or the dip in her back that seemed to fit so well against her. Her nose nuzzles into her shoulder. _She smells like flowers..._

_“Alex...”_ the other woman mutters as her body tenses before going limp in her arms. Lena freezes.

_Oh...right...Sam likes Alex..._

She pulls away silently; pulling the blankets around herself as she settles herself away from Sam on the other side of the bed; neither woman aware of the others own inner turmoil.


	22. Chapter 22

Lena took a bite of her eggs benedict from where she sat at their table in Vironique’s. They may have had the most expensive eggs benedict, but it was also the best; and she was starving, so it was worth it. Sam sat across from her; lazily taking a gulp of her coffee, before yawning widely. Lena smirked.

“Tired?” She inquired, raising an eyebrow as she took another bite of her food. Sam glared playfully.

“Yes, because _somebody_ kept me up all night.” Lena musters up her most innocent looking smile.

“Really?” She says innocently, hiding her devilish smirk by taking a sip of her coffee. Sam threw her napkin at her. Lena laughed.

“Who just barges into your house in the middle of the night?” Sam yawns again. “That’s like breaking and entering or something.”

“It’s hardly breaking and entering if the door was unlocked.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “Who leaves their door unlocked at night?”

“I was tired, I forgot ok!”

Just then, their conversation is interrupted when 2 more people enter the restaurant. Lena glances over at the pair, and her eyes just about bulge out of her head. Because there, standing in the front door, was Mon-El. With a girl.

She’d just about forgotten about Mon-El entirely, but something seemed off about this outing. For one, the girl he was with. She’d never seen her before in her life. It struck her as odd that he was out with a girl. She’d thought for sure he had been into Kara.

_Maybe she’s just a sister or something..._ She thought. But that idea quickly died when she saw Mon-El reach around and grab the other woman’s butt. _Definitely not a sister..._

Mon-El and the mysterious woman had just about passed their table, when suddenly a box of cigarettes fell from the woman’s pocket and she reached down to pick them up. Which was when Mon-El finally noticed them.

“Oh, Lena, hey.” He greeted. Lena simply raised an eyebrow.

“Mon-El.” She said in greeting. The other woman turned her head to look at him.

“You know each other?” She questioned.

“Yeah. She’s the C.E.O. of the company I work for.” He says, winding his hand possessively around the woman’s waist. Lena looked her up and down. They stood in silence for a while.

“Kay, Mon-El let’s go get a table already.” She whines eventually, pulling on his arm impatiently.

“Alright, I’m coming.” He says, but he stops at the last minute, turning to look at the Luthor. Which is when he does the last thing Lena ever expects to be directed at her. He smiles; putting a finger to his lips, and gives her a wink. “Let’s just keep this a secret between us.” He says before he turns and leaves.

Lena and Sam stare after them. So he was seeing a girl. _But...What about Kara...?_ The flowers, the flirting, the excessive niceness... _has he been...toying with her?_


	23. Chapter 23

It was the next day, and Lena’s life was continuing as usual. Well, as was usual for her. Her and Sam had been continuing their fake relationship as normal. After their night together, it had been clear to Lena that Sam still had feeling for Alex. She supposed she really shouldn’t have been surprised or expecting anything different. After all, they had both started all of this under the pretence that the other was simply a replacement.

However, that night had made her realize some things. Like her growing feelings for the other woman. Which was a problem. She knew feelings were against their rules, but she just couldn’t bring herself to break off their relationship. She didn’t want what they had to end. And so, she put it in the back of her mind to deal with later. At the moment, she had more pressing matters to attend to. _Like Mon-El._

She had been watching him all day. More specifically how he acted around Kara. Which; to say the least, was no different. He still gave her specialty treatment. Carrying her layouts, giving her chocolates, bringing her lunch. Things; she couldn’t help but notice, that he appeared to do exclusively for _Kara_.

_I always thought he was fake..._ She thought, as she watches Kara’s smile light up her entire face when Mon-El hands her a coffee. _I knew it..._

But, for some reason, this revelation doesn’t make her happy. Maybe, deep down, she had secretly hoped that whoever Kara liked turned out to be perfect. If she couldn’t be with Kara, then she wanted her to be with someone who would truly make her happy. Someone that she deserves. And Kara deserved someone perfect. If Kara was happy, then maybe Lena could finally move on from her.

But she felt something else now. Something seething. _Hatred_. She hated this man with every fibre of her being. _How dare he toy with Kara’s emotions like they were his favourite playthings._

Lena was content to seethe in silence, but as she was making her regularly scheduled rounds that day at CatCo, she was suddenly bumped into by none other than Mon-El himself. He looked fairly startled by her, and the surprise had caused him to drop his bag of Twizzlers; the strands of red liquorice being scattered all over the floor.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry Lena, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” He says, bending down to pick up his liquorice. Lena rolled her eyes, but decided to help him out, picking up a few strands herself. “Thanks. Hey, you want one?” He asks, standing once again. Lena gives a forced smile.

“I’m good, thanks.” She says. He shrugs. “Hey, Mon-El?” She asks as she hands him back the Twizzlers she had picked up off the floor.

“Yeah?” He says, pausing his movements. Lena fiddles with her hands, but she had to find out the truth about who this man really was.

“That woman you were with yesterday...Is she your girlfriend?” She questioned. To her great astonishment, Mon-El smiled.

“Oh no. She was just a friend.” Lena blinked. _So if there was no romantic connection between them, then..._

_“Let’s just keep this a secret between us.”_

_Why do you need it kept a secret?_ There was no way they had been just friends. She had seen the way he had behaved around her. There was no way they were just friends. _Unless...unless he’s toying with her too..._ It was then that it dawned on her that they both shared only one person in common that he didn’t want to find out. _Kara_. And he’s realized that.

Suddenly, his cell phone began to ring, and he glanced down at the caller ID on his screen. “Sorry, I gotta take this. We’ll talk later?” He says, already making his way out of the room.

As Mon-El walked past her, Lena’s nose suddenly began to pick up the faint scent of cigarettes. He didn’t smoke. But she remembered the pack of cigarettes that had fallen from the woman’s pocket at the restaurant. And it struck her that he was wearing the same outfit he had been wearing the night before.


	24. Chapter 24

_Several months ago..._

Mon-El loved exploiting people. It was something that was _fun_ for him. He had always found it difficult to know how good someone was unless someone said so. A side effect of loving himself a bit too much, he supposed. The idea of loving someone other than himself was preposterous to him. But he relished the idea of being wanted. _Desired_. There was no point if he wasn’t wanted.

“Hey, Kara. Look.” He says, reaching into his bag of Twizzlers and holding one against his upper lip. “I have a moustache.” Kara bursts into a fit of giggles. _She’s way too easy to please..._

He honestly wasn’t interested in Kara at all.

“Nice to see my $750 million dollars were well spent.” He looks up to see Lena enter the room.

“Lena, look! I have a moustache!” Kara exclaims excitedly, holding a piece of liquorice against her own lip. Lena smiles fondly.

“Dork.”

But maybe he was interested in the attention she was receiving.

Kara was a fan favourite around the office. Everyone seemed to like her. There was an entire building full of people that showed she was something to be desired. He had been intrigued. But so far, he was finding her to be just so... _boring_.

_But this..._

He watched Lena’s hurt expression as she left the office again. Seeing her pain made all of this worth it. He smiled to himself.

_...This was fun._


	25. Chapter 25

“Wait, you and Mon-El are...what?” Lena blinked owlishly. Kara smiled up at her brightly.

“We’re going out on a date!” She bounces excitedly. Lena winced. “He finally asked me out! Can you believe it?" Lena did her best to hide her mortification.

“That’s....I mean...with Mon-El...I’m just...speechless...”

“I know! I’m so excited!"

Lena stared. She wanted to tell her. Kara deserved to know. She knew Mon-El had no interest in Kara. And she knew what kind of man he was. Kara needed to stay away from him, or she would get hurt. She had to tell her. No matter how much it hurt Kara. She had to know.

“Hey...Kara, there’s something I have to tell you...” but before she could get in another word, their conversation was suddenly interrupted. By Mon-El.

“Hey, Lena? Could you help me with this for a second?” He calls from the other side of the room. Lena looks up at Kara apologetically.

“We’ll talk later?” Kara says with a smile. Lena sighs, but makes her way over to Mon-El.

“What do you need help with?” She asks upon meeting him on the other side of the room. Instead, he asks another question.

“Have you talked to Kara today?” He asks. Lena raises an eyebrow.

“Obviously. You just saw me talking to her before you called me over.” She says with annoyance.

“I mean has she mentioned anything to you? About...me and her?” Lena gives a tight lipped smile.

“Why, yes she has.”She says maliciously. “I believe she mentioned something about you taking her out on a date.” She says dryly. This seems to make the man look agitated.

“So...you know about that...” Lena crossed her arms over her chest; levelling him with all the power of a signature Luthor glare, done playing games with him.

“Does she know about that other woman you’re seeing?” He doesn’t look startled by the question, but does at least have the decency to pretend as if he’s unaware.

“I...I don’t know what you’re talking about...” He says, scratching the back of his neck. Lena glared.

“Cut the crap. I saw you two that night. There is no way you were just friends.” She says icily. “Now, I don’t care why you do it or who you fool around with, but nobody messes with my friends. So I’ll ask you again.” Her eyes flare. “Does Kara know about that other woman you’re seeing?”

Mon-El stares at her for a long moment, before setting his jaw and answering. “No. She doesn’t know.” He says firmly. “And she’s not going to find out.”

Lena frowned. “If you think I’m not going to tell her about this, then you’ve got another thing coming.” To her surprise, he smiled.

“No. You’re not going to tell her. Want to know why?” He smirks, leaning in close and whispering under his breath so that only she can hear. “Because if you do, then I’ll tell Kara your little secret.”

Lena blinks; taken aback, but nervous now. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I think you do.” He smiles again. “See, you’re not going to tell her, because you don’t want her to find out about that little crush you have on her, hm?” Lena opens her mouth as if to respond, but no words come. He leans in and whispers in her ear.

“You must realize that she could never feel the same way about you. Imagine what her reaction would be. It would ruin your friendship. And something tells me you’re a bit short on friends right now. You wouldn’t want to lose the only person who’s ever cared about you, would you?” He leans back, smiling his smug little smirk. Lena blinks.

”You just threatened your boss. I could fire you for that.” He raises an eyebrow.

”So, go ahead. Fire me. I’m sure Kara will just _love_ to hear all about how her best friend is in love with her.” She blinks. Mon-El smirks.

“You’re choice, Lena.” He says, walking away again. Lena could only stare after him.


	26. Chapter 26

Lena had spent the remainder of her day thinking about what Mon-El had said. Of course, she really didn’t expect Kara would ever return her feelings. Yes, she had secretly _hoped_ , but she really didn’t think Kara would ever feel that way about her. Of course, she had imagined being with Kara countless times. Everyone has their own fantasies. But she had never really pictured how Kara would react if she _didn’t_ reciprocate her feelings.

What if Mon-El was right? What if Kara found out and she was repulsed? What if it ruined their friendship? She loved Kara, but to her, Kara was more than just a love interest. Kara was her friend. She wouldn’t risk her friendship for anything. But what about Kara? Mon-El was using her and she knew it. _What am I going to do?_

“Lena! Wait up!”

She stopped moving, glancing back to see Kara running towards her.

“Kara, hey what’s up?” Kara reaches into her purse and pulls out a single card, holding it out to her.

“I forgot I had to give this to you. It’s a wedding invitation. Alex and Maggie are getting married!” Lena takes the offered object; smiling gently.

“Thats great, Kara. You’ll extend my congratulations, yes?”

“Of course. Oh, and Sam was invited as well. I know you guys are seeing each other. You’ll let her know?”

Lena froze. _Right...Sam...who’s in love with Alex...who’s getting married..._

”...Yeah...I’ll let her know.”

_Sam is going to be devastated..._


	27. Chapter 27

Lena thought about telling Sam about the marriage. She knew she would find out eventually. It was only a matter of time. But she knew what this news would do to the other woman. Alex was getting married. That means, there was no hope for her. Sam could never hope to be with Alex now. She would be devastated, and Lena very much did not want to be the person to have to tell her that she could never be with the woman she loves. But she needed to know.

Lena sighed. She would tell her. But, tomorrow. Hope was such a powerful thing, and Sam deserved at least 1 more night of bliss before her dreams were shattered. Lena sighed. _Tomorrow_.

By this point, all she wanted to do was go home. It had been kind of a trying day for her. Finding out Kara was now officially off the market. Discovering that she was going out with _Mon-El_ , who was only using her to satisfy his own desires. Mon-El _confirming_ he was only using her to satisfy his own desires. Mon-El blackmailing her from telling Kara the truth by threatening her friendship with Kara. Realizing she would have to tell Sam about the wedding.

She just needed to relax. _Maybe a bubble bath...possibly some chocolates..._

But her ideas of just what exactly she was planning on doing that night were put on hold when she walks down the hall towards her apartment, only to find someone waiting there. A man was sitting on the floor; head resting on his knees, and staring at a single spot on the wall, directly in front of her apartment door. Lena stopped walking.

“...Jack..?”

Jack quickly looked up, scrambling to his feet upon catching sight of the Luthor.

“Lena..! Umm...hi...uh...hey...” he stutters, looking at the floor. Neither party made any movements to move towards the other; both simply standing in silence as if waiting for the other to make the first move.

Many things went through the Luthor’s mind in that moment. She hadn’t seen Jack since he had confessed his feelings for her, and neither had spoken to the other in several weeks. She hadn’t been avoiding him, per say; Jack hadn’t exactly been banging down her door, but she hadn’t really actively sought him out either.

Truth be told, she had been afraid she had ruined their friendship when she had snapped at him. It wasn’t Jacks fault that he had feelings for her. You can’t help who you fall in love with. Lena understood that better than anyone. But when he had confessed his feelings, she had snapped at him. She had been overly harsh, and she knew it. And she felt awful about it.

This was _Jack_. That same boy who almost cried when she had offered to tutor him after everyone else had given up on him all those years ago. The boy who’s house she used to go to every day, conducting their experiments out of his parents garage. That same boy whom she had unintentionally thrown a microscope at, when said experiments went haywire. The boy who used to bring her donuts when she was upset, and who had a latte every morning for breakfast. This was her _friend_. And she had bit his head off.

“You cut your hair.” She says eventually. Jack smiles a little then; looking a bit less nervous now, as he runs a hand through his newly-cut hair.

“Yeah...was getting a bit too unruly, you know?” Lena smiles lightly.

“You always had such untameable hair.” Jack gives a small chuckle, but then they both go silent again. Jack clears his throat.

“I, umm...I wanted to apologize...” He starts. “What I did...I shouldn’t have kissed you without your permission...it was wrong of me, and...I’m really sorry...” He trails off. Lena smiles gently.

“It’s alright. I forgive you.” She says. Jack looks up.

“You’re not mad at me?” He asks, sceptical. Lena shakes her head.

“You know I could never stay mad at you.”

Jack breaths a sigh of relief then. “I also wanted to thank you.” He starts. Lena blinks, taken aback.

“Thank me? For what? I was horrible to you...” To Lena’s great astonishment, Jack actually smiles at that.

“No. You only said what needed to be said. It was better that way. To know, one way or another. Because now I can move on.” He states. “I wanted to thank you for not indulging what I had asked...that you didn’t take advantage of my feelings for your own gain, even though I had asked you to. I know that’s part of who you are. You always put the needs of others before yourself. And it’s one of the reasons why I love you.”

Lena stared at him, long and hard for a moment, when her throat suddenly began to feel tight, and she could feel her eyes begin to well up with tears. And then she’s running towards him.

“Jack!” She sobs as she crashes into him, burying her face in his chest. She had been so worried that she had ruined their friendship, and then he goes and says things like this. Jack staggers backwards from the impact; blinking in confusion, before he tentatively wraps his arms around her, returning her hug.

“Why??” Lena croaks, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. “Why do you love me so much? I’m not worth it! I’m such a terrible person...how can you still love me after what I did? I thought you’d never speak to me again...”

Jack looks at her, confused. “What are you talking about? You didn’t do anything. You did everything a friend was supposed to do. Why did you think I’d never talk to you again?”

Lena sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “Because...because I snapped at you...”

Jack stared into her eyes long and hard for a moment. “You thought I’d never talk to you again because you snapped at me? Sometimes friends get upset with each other. That doesn’t mean we stop talking to each other.”

Lena glances away, not meeting his eyes. “Well how am I supposed to know that? I don’t exactly have friends for reference, so...” she trails off.

Jack stops, staring at her before realization dawns on him. “You’ve never done this before.” He says in realization.

Lena looks up at him again before glancing down sheepishly. “No...I’ve never done this before...”

Jack thinks about that for a moment, before pulling away from her slightly, placing 2 hands on her shoulders. “Well...alright then...so...here’s how it works.” He tilts her chin up so she’s looking at him; smiling gently. “Sometimes, friends fight. Sometimes we get on each other’s nerves and yell. Sometimes we do stupid things. But then, one comes and apologizes, and we forgive each other, and we continue being friends.” He wipes a tear that rolls down her cheek. “Even if I yell. Even if _you_ yell. I will always be your friend. Ok?”

Lena smiles, before hugging him again. “Ok.”

Jack hugged her for a moment more, before finally releasing her; giving her shoulder a playful nudge, and throwing her a lopsided smirk.

“So, this person you have a crush on. What are they like?”

Lena laughs, stepping back to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes. “She’s...she’s just so...amazing. She’s intelligent, brave, and just so...beautiful.” She smiles to herself.

Jack smiles at her. “Well, I hope things work out between you.” He pauses. “Just out of curiosity; and you totally don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, who exactly is this woman you like so much?”

Lena opened her mouth to answer, but she paused. Kara’s name was on the tip of her tongue; that was who all of this had started with after all. But as she had gone to answer, she found it curious that it was Sam who had suddenly come to mind. 


	28. Chapter 28

“You’re sure you can’t stay in town any longer?” Lena had asked the next morning. Jack smiled at her.

“I’m afraid not. I _do_ have a company to run after all." He nudged her shoulder playfully. “The life of a C.E.O is never finished.”

Lena smiled. “No, I suppose not.”

A car pulled up outside and both glance towards it. Lena was suddenly struck with how little time she’d have left with her friend, and it made her sad that he had to go.

“I guess that’s my cue.” He says; bending to pick up a briefcase he had sat beside him, leaning in to give Lena a hug.

“You’re sure I can’t convince you to stay for just _one_ more day?” She asks upon releasing him, half jokingly, but there was a small part of her that secretly wished he would actually stay longer. He laughs.

“Don’t tempt me.” The car honks it’s horn. He glances sheepishly between her and the vehicle. “If you’re ever in Metropolis, you know where to find me.” Lena smiles.

“I will.” She smirks. “And come visit more often. Don’t ever leave me for that long ever again.” She swats him playfully on the arm. He only chuckles to himself.

“I shall do my best, M’lady.” He gives a short bow with a smirk. Lena rolls her eyes. The car honks it’s horn again.

Lena raises an eyebrow. “You’d better go before your driver gets _impatient_.”

Jack raises an eyebrow. “Why, Ms. Luthor, is that _sarcasm_ I’m detecting?” Lena feigns innocence.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” They both laugh, but then she’s giving him a nudge on the shoulder. “Alright, go on you.”

And as she watched him climb into the car; stopping to give her a final wave, she couldn’t help but think that maybe Mon-El had been wrong about one thing. Kara wasn’t the only person who cared about her. She watched Jack drive away, smiling lightly. _There’s at least one other person._

She thought about that a moment, before suddenly recalling how Sam had stood up for her in that restaurant. She smiled to herself. _Two. Two other people._


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven’t been updating as regularly. I AM still writing, I’ve just had a CRAZY amount of homework this last week and haven’t had as much time to write, but I’m getting there I swear.

__It had been several weeks since Lena had told Sam about Alex’s marriage. Sam had taken the news surprisingly well, considering. Or, so Lena had originally thought.

To the outside world, Sam might have seemed completely normal. In fact; to most people, she wouldn’t have seemed any different at all. She still went to work, she still went to Ruby’s soccer games and picked her up from school, they still went on their regularly scheduled lunch dates; and overall, she just seemed like her normal, happy self.

But Lena wasn’t just anybody. Lena knew Sam better than anyone. And so she had noticed that something was off. For one, she no longer spoke of Alex as often as she once did. She supposed that was only to be expected. She figured Sam had simply accepted that she no longer had a chance with her. And two; the two of them had stopped speaking of anything that might get too real between them.

Truthfully; unbeknownst to Lena, Sam had been starting to harbour feelings for the Luthor for a while now. The news of Alex’s marriage was; of course, devastating for her. She was still in love with her after all, but it had made her realize some things. Like how she had been secretly enjoying her and Lena’s little relationship more and more each day.

They had started their relationship on the premise that if one was lonely, the other would be there to comfort them. But that was the thing. She _wasn’t_ lonely anymore. She had still loved Alex, but seeing her and Maggie together had no longer made her feel like someone had cut a hole in her chest. She no longer _needed_ the comfort Lena was supposed to bring. But she sought her out anyway. Because she had started to feel things. She knew it was against their rules, and so she had taken a step back. 

A step that left Lena feeling conflicted.

On the one hand, it made her sad to think that the two were no longer as close as they once were. She had liked the dynamic of their relationship; telling each other everything. But on the other hand, maybe this was a step she actually needed. Because; like Sam, Lena had begun to think that things had started to feel too real between them. She had started to have those lingering feelings for the other woman. And they both knew feelings were against their rules.

And this is where things grew complicated. If she had feelings, then; as per their rules, their relationship would stop. And she didn’t want their relationship to stop. But maybe the reason she didn’t want their relationship to stop, was because she had feelings.

As the days continued on, each got the feeling that the other had something they were hiding. They even seemed to avoid the trouble of asking or bringing it up at all. They often wondered why that was. But in reality, they were both doing it for the same reason.

Because their “ _fake_ ” relationship had started to feel really good. And both parties felt conflicted as to what that might mean.


	30. Chapter 30

Time passes equally for everyone. It’s up to you whether your life is boring or not. Time needs to be divided to be visible, and so you often get caught up in routine. An hour to get ready in the morning, 20 minutes to get to work, 5 hours of work, half hour for lunch, another few hours of work, 20 minutes to drive home, a few hours to bum around, bed, and the cycle continues. It was the same every day. And it was _boring_. The number one thing Mon-El desired was something that would break the mundane routine of everyday life.

“Oooo!! They have potstickers!! How did you know they were my favourite?” Kara practically squealed as she stared at her menu across from him.

“I think the entire city knows they’re your favourite.” He remarks. Kara only smiles. He sighs to himself. _This is boring..._

He takes another rather large gulp of his aldebaren rum. By the time they had gotten a ways into their food, he had consumed several of them, and was beginning to feel the affects of the alcohol.

 _Crap_.

He hadn’t meant to drink so much. But she was just so _boring_.

They had gone out on several of these little _dates_. He had been looking for a bit of excitement, but so far, it had all been a major let down.

At work, it was more fun. Because at work, they were surrounded by people who fancied both him _and_ Kara, and he _lived_ for the jealous looks that were always thrown their way. He loved being the centre of attention. He had also taken great enjoyment out of watching Lena suffer. It was an added bonus to all of this, and made his life so much more interesting. But out here, there was no one to bring him any enjoyment out of his boring evenings with Kara.

He orders another drink.

“Are you really not going to drink?” He questions, upon his latest glass of rum arriving at the table. Kara suddenly looks embarrassed, scratching the back of her neck nervously.

“Oh no, I’m good really. I don’t really drink...” Mon-El raises an eyebrow. _Of course you don’t..._

He’d known she was boring from the start, but she was even more boring than he had originally thought.

_I really hate boring people..._

“Have you ever tried one of these before?” He questions, gesturing to his aldebaren rum. Kara shakes her head. “Well, if you’ve never tried it before, how will you know if you like it or not?” He slides the drink across the table towards her. “Here. Try it.”

Kara adjusts her glasses nervously. “I don’t know...”

Mon-El mentally rolls his eyes. _Boring, boring, boring..._ he leans across the table.

“You scared?” He challenges.

Kara hesitated a moment, but then she’s reaching across the table; taking the glass in her hand, and downing its contents in a single go. Mon-El sighs. _About time..._

By the time they go to leave, he was feeling heavily intoxicated. So much so, that he didn’t quite have his proper balance anymore, and as he walked out the front door, he stumbled enough to cause himself to start to fall over. But he was stopped before he hit the ground.

Kara had been quick, managing to reach forward and catch him before he hit the ground. But it was what had slipped from her lips as she had caught him that made him stop.

“Lena!” Kara exclaimed, quickly surging forwards and catching him. Mon-El blinked. _What did she just say?_

“Are you alright?” She questions him, steadying him on his feet once again. He blinked up at her, instead answering her question with another question.

“Did you just call me Lena?”

Kara’s eyes went wide, as if she had only now realized what she had just said. She blushed furiously, releasing him. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to say that! I guess I just sort of said it out of habit! It’s just Lena seems to fall down a lot and I’m so used to catching her, and then you fell and I guess I just sort of said it out of habit, and I’m really sorry!” She fiddles nervously with a strand of her hair.

Mon-El blinked for a moment, simply staring at her, before suddenly surging forwards and kissing her square on the lips. When he pulls away again, he’s actually _smiling_.

_This boring day might have just gotten interesting..._


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for this chapter and it’s implications. I’m sorry, I will fix this I promise.

Kara’s apartment was a lot more bland than Mon-El had originally anticipated. It looked as if she didn’t particularly have an eye for interior design, if the bright blue refrigerator in her kitchen was anything to go by.

He had been hopeful when Kara had invited him inside that night. He had hoped that maybe something in her apartment would reveal a secret kink or some deep dark secret about her personality. After all, you never _really_ know a person until you’ve been in their home. There was no way Kara was _that_ boring. There had to be _something_ interesting about her. However; once again, he had found himself to be utterly disappointed.

They were currently sat, sitting atop her living room couch; his arm draped over her shoulder, watching a movie on her tv. The type of thing that was in the same category of things boyfriends usually do with girlfriends. It was normal. It was something that was so plane and utterly mundane that he almost gagged. _Doesn’t she ever do **anything** interesting?_

There were far more _enjoyable_ things he would have rather been doing, and he had every intention of doing them. The only problem was, he still had an act to maintain with Kara. Which meant, if he ever wanted to get to actually _doing_ said enjoyable things; in order to maintain his act, _Kara_ had to be the one to initiate it. Which meant he somehow had to get Kara to make the first move. He got an idea.

“Hey, Kara?” He asks innocently enough. She hums in response, not directing her attention away from the tv. He frowned. _This won’t do..._ he needed to get her attention. “What do you think of Lena?”

That did it. Kara immediately turned her head to look at him, sceptically.

“What do you mean?” She states, as if suddenly wary. Mon-El didn’t miss the sudden defensive tone to her voice. _That’s interesting..._

“She’s a very attractive woman; don’t you think?” He pushes again. Kara seems to relax a bit at that.

“She is.” She states simply, once again settling into the couch and looking back towards the tv. He groaned internally; rolling his eyes in exasperation. _She really doesn’t know how to take a hint..._

“You two seem very close.” He probes again. And it was then that Kara seemed to clue in as to just what exactly he was implying. She glances down awkwardly.

“Well, shes my best friend, so if it seems like I get special treatment at work...”

“Oh no. It’s not that.” He says quickly. She glances up at him questioningly. He smiles internally, doing his best to make himself look as innocent as possible. He feigns embarrassment. “Maybe I’m just being silly...” He says, glancing away.

“What? What is it?” Kara places a hand on his arm. “Tell me.”

Mon-El scratches his head in mock nervousness. “I know I’m just being silly...” He turns to look at her. “..But I can’t help but feel...jealous of her.”

Kara’s eyes widened in realization at just what he was implying. And as if to reassure his “fears”, she quickly repositioned herself on the couch; leaning upwards, and capturing his lips in her own. Mon-El smiled mischievously into the kiss. _Too easy..._


	32. Chapter 32

Sam and Lena had been keeping up their whole “avoiding each other” thing for the past week now, and it was driving Lena insane. They had gone from sharing everything with each other, to barely speaking. The drastic change had been a difficult adjustment; to say the least, and the silence had been starting to get to her.

Lena didn’t have many friends, as they had established. If her little dinner outing with Winn and James had taught her anything, it was that she wasn’t particularly compatible with most average people. Which was a bit of a problem considering her Luthor genetics tended to ward off everyone else.

Of course, there was Jack, who had always been the exception. It _did_ help that Jack was probably the _one_ person who had known her before the rest of her family had soiled the Luthor name. But Jack was currently back in Metropolis.

There was Kara, who was a completely different breed entirely. Kara was filled with a compassion and kindness as such the Luthor has never seen before. She was the only person who had never judged her because of her family. Kara believed in her, even when no one else would. She had this willingness to see the good in others, even when it wasn’t there. It was one of the reasons why she had fallen for her in the first place. But there was the matter of that pesky little crush the Luthor harboured on the reporter. Which meant; as much as she loved Kara, there were certain topics of discussion with which she couldn’t engage with the other woman.

That only left Sam.

Sam was different. With Sam, things had never been awkward or uncomfortable. They could speak freely, of everything and nothing. There weren’t particularly boundaries to speak of. They could do anything they wanted. There was just that pesky no feelings rule to consider.

They should have known it was bound to happen. You don’t spend that much time with someone; doing all the things they did, and just **_not_** start to feel _something_. It was inevitable. She wouldn’t go so far as to say she was in love with her, or anything, but there was _something_. She had begun to enjoy herself, and she really hadn’t anticipated how hard it would be to suddenly just **_stop_**.

Jack wasn’t around, she couldn’t talk to Kara, and her and Sam had been taking _space_.

Which meant she was fresh out of friends to hang around. Which meant; for the past week or so, she had been alone. And the loneliness was finally starting to get to her, until she finally snapped.

Which is why she now found herself stalking up to the doorstep of Sam’s house.

Sam had been reading quietly to herself; sprawled across her living room couch. Her evenings had felt so much more quiet now that Lena wasn’t coming over every night. She sighed. She missed Lena. She missed their evenings together. She missed talking with her. She knew she had taken that step back for a reason, but from the looks of things; it had been a mutual step. Lena hadn’t exactly been knocking down her door. She wondered if Lena was also in the same predicament she was...

**_Knock Knock Knock_ **

She looked up from her reading; glancing towards the door. She frowned. She wasn’t expecting anyone. _Who could that be at this hour?_

She stood; setting her book down on the coffee table, and walking towards the door. She turned the handle, only to see the last person she had expected to see currently standing on her doorstep.

“...Lena?”

Lena says nothing. Instead, surging forwards; clasping the collar of her shirt in her hands, and pulling her into a passionate kiss.

“Lena...? What—“

But she never got to finish her sentence. Lena quickly silenced her with another insistent kiss, and whatever protests Sam might have had, quickly died on her lips. It felt much too good to protest against. She wasn’t exactly complaining.

Lena reaches a hand upwards; tangling it in her hair, and slipping a tongue inside the other woman’s mouth as she walked Sam backwards through the front door of her house once again. “God I missed this.” She breathes in between kisses; her free hand stoking up the other woman’s side. Sam was inclined to agree.

The door is closed behind them, and suddenly it’s Sam who is taking over the kiss. She surges forwards; pushing Lena back against the door with a bang, and beginning to kiss down her neck. Lena gasps. She had missed this. She missed kissing her. She missed the feel of her soft skin beneath her lips. She had missed _Lena_.

“ _Sam_...” Lena murmurs breathily.

Sam stops. She knew they had started all of this with the other being a simple replacement. Lena was to pretend that Sam was Kara, and Sam was to pretend that Lena was Alex. That was how it had always been. Of course, they sometimes had slip ups; getting caught up in the heat of the moment and all. But that was all they had been. Slip ups.

Only; with Alex getting married, Sam had begun to find it harder and harder to see Lena as Alex. Lately; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t help but just see the woman in front of her. Which was why she had taken the step back to begin with. Realistically, she knew she would never have a chance with Alex now, but there was still a chance that Lena could be with Kara. It was almost cruel and unusual punishment to hear Lena say her name when she really meant someone else. She pulls away.

“Don’t you mean Kara?” She says; glancing away, a slight edge to her tone now. Lena smiles.

“No.” Sam snaps her head back around to look at her in surprise. Lena smiles, reaching a hand up to gently caress her cheek. “ _Sam_.”

Sam blinks, taken aback. “W-what? B-but, that’s against our rules...” She stammers nervously.

Lena leans in close, staring intently into her eyes; her expression hard and serious.

“ _ **Fuck**_ the rules.”

Sam blinks, opening her mouth as if to speak, but closing it again when no words come.

Lena allows her hand to rest on the other woman’s shoulder. “No more running. No more rules. No more of this avoiding each other because things might get too complicated. I don’t care, ok? I don’t care. It was unrealistic to think we could do this without catching any feelings of some sort. But I don’t care anymore. If there’s feelings, then let them be. Just, please...” she looks up into her eyes pleadingly. “Please don’t shut me out again...Please don’t leave me alone...”

Sam stared at her for a long while; studying Lena’s eyes carefully. Her eyes looked sad, lonely. But they had this hopeful sparkle to them. It was a spark that was always there. And it was beautiful. She allowed her eyes to drift down towards her lips.

“...Ok.” Was all she said, before closing the gap between their bodies again; bringing their lips together in a soft, gentle kiss.


	33. Chapter 33

Lena had been in a bit of a rush to get to work the next morning. It was safe to say that her day hadn’t exactly started off as planned. She had taken the elevator down to the underground parking garage beneath her apartment, only to find a rather unpleasant surprise waiting for her. Her car had a flat tire.

Which wouldn’t have been too big of a problem, if she had actually managed to get up on time that morning.

She had left Sam’s house late the night before, and by the time she had gotten home, the Luthor had just been so exhausted that she had gone straight to bed; completely forgetting to set her alarm, which had then neglected to go off that morning.

At the last minute she had called her personal driver to come pick her up instead. And even then, she still might have made it, if it hadn’t been for that god damn alien attack the night before. Supergirl had stopped him, of course. Supergirl was brave, kind, and strong, and she was widely loved by everyone.

But no one ever said anything about the cleanup involved after her fights.

Buildings were destroyed, roads torn up. Things that took _time_ to fix. Which meant traffic was hell that morning, as police did their best to reroute everyone away from the damaged roads. Which meant, she had taken twice as long to get to work that morning, when she was already in a rush.

To add to her already stressed mood; due to time constraints, she hadn’t had time to stop for her regular cup of coffee that morning, which meant she still felt exhausted with the lack of caffeine in her system. And as if to add the cherry on top of her already crappy morning; when her driver had pulled up outside the CatCo office, it had started to rain. It was a shame that she had forgotten her umbrella that morning.

She had missed 2 meetings, which meant she then had extra paperwork to catch up on. Not to mention the rather unpleasant phone call she had then endured with Morgan Edge; who had seemed all too smug with her absence.

She had only been at work for maybe an hour; feeling very much like she had gotten hit by a bus, and she already wanted to go home and crawl straight back into bed. Which was when her saviour came knocking.

“Whoa, what happened to _you_?” Sam had asked; strolling into Lena’s office with a cup of coffee, taking in the Luthor’s half dead expression and still slightly damp; and now straggly, hair.

Lena groaned, setting down her pen for the time being, and flopping her head down into her arms dramatically. “Ugh, _life. Life_ happened to me.”

Sam walked over to her desk with a smile. “Well, in my experience, I’ve discovered that most mornings can be greatly improved by the presence of caffeine.” She sets the cup of coffee on the desk. Lena looks up at her. Sam gestures to the cup with a smile. “Drink. You’ll feel better.”

Lena didn’t have to be told twice. “You are my hero.” She says, already taking a large gulp of coffee. She sighed; the caffeine already starting to make her feel less like a dead person. Sam chuckles lightly.

“Not your morning, I take it?” Lena groans.

“Morning. Week. Year. Life.” She takes another large gulp of coffee. “It’s because I’m a Luthor isn’t it?”

Sam laughs. “Yes, well, you wouldn’t be you if you weren’t.” She smirks. “Besides,” She throws Lena a wink. “You’re still _my_ Luthor after all.”

Lena rolls her eyes, but smiles; taking another sip of her coffee.

Sam smiles, a humorous glint in her eyes, as her gaze settles on the Luthor’s mess of hair. “As much as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to witness your new hairstyle—“ Lena’s eyes go wide and her hands fly up to her hair. Sam smirks. “-I did actually stop by for a reason.”

“What, didn’t stop by just to bing me a coffee?” Lena asks with a quirk of an eyebrow; the Luthor attempting to fix her hair before giving up and simply tying it back. Sam smirks.

“Maybe the coffee was just to butter you up?”

Lena raises an eyebrow. “And what exactly; pray tell, do I need buttering up for?” She asks, going to take another sip of coffee. Sam smiles.

“I’m here to ask you on a date.”

Lena pauses her movements; her coffee cup halfway to her lips, before smiling. “And you thought I needed buttering up for that? You do realize we’ve been on hundreds of dates before, right?”

“Yeah, but those weren’t _real_ dates.” Sam states. “Those were for show. We weren’t _really_ dating. I’m here to ask you on a _real_ date.”

Lena smirks. “And the fastest way to my heart is through caffeine?” She takes another sip of coffee.

Sam smiles. “Exactly.”

Lena rolls her eyes but smiles. “Well, I have to hand it to you. You know me well.” She stares down into her now empty coffee cup with a sigh. “Don’t suppose you’ve got another one hiding somewhere, do you?”

Sam smirks, bringing a hand out from behind her back and placing another cup on the desk in front of her. Lena blinks. “Pick you up at 8?”


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late updates. I’ve been in the process of applying for school, and I have to pass an entrance exam, so I’ve been studying. I’ll try to update more frequently.

Mon-El had been in a particularly good mood. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. And Lena had been miserable all morning.

The Luthor had been late that day; which was about as common an occurrence as Halley’s Comet. It had rained for all of about 5 minutes that morning, before clearing up completely. Which; coincidentally enough, had happened right _after_ Lena had come inside; all sopping wet and straggly hair.

“Lena! Looks like you just caught the rain.” He says cheerfully, walking towards the Luthor with a spring in his step. Lena simply glared at him. “You know, it’s funny. It was clear all morning. You must have just caught it. That’s rotten luck.” He smirks, leaning in closer so he can whisper. “You know, you probably would have missed it if you were here on time.”

Lena glared, water dripping from her hair. “Fuck you, Mon-El.”

Mon-El only smiled wider.

Of course, there were other perks to the Luthor showing up late. She had missed 2 meetings that morning, which meant her other business partners weren’t particularly happy with her. He knew Morgan Edge had at least called her to gloat about her absence; and he was probably the _one_ person Lena hated as much as she hated him. Mon-El felt a deep sense of satisfaction with that knowledge. Someone else had done all the work, and he didn’t even have to lift a finger. He could just reap the results.

It was like Christmas had come early.

He had taken several unnecessary detours past Lena’s office that morning; taking great pleasure in witnessing the Luthor’s seemingly increasing collapse of sanity with each time he walked past. He was in the process of walking by for the 5th time that morning, when he noticed the Luthor suddenly wasn’t alone in her office.

Lena was still sitting at her desk, now talking with Sam Arias; her supposed girlfriend. But the Luthor looked less miserable now. More attentive, and less likely to rip her own hair out. Mon-El frowned, deciding to listen in on their little conversation.

“And what exactly; pray tell, do I need buttering up for?” He hears Lena say, but there’s a note of humour to her tone now.

“I’m here to ask you on a date.”

Mon-El swore he actually heard the Luthor laugh at that.

“And you thought I needed buttering up for that? You do realize we’ve been on hundreds of dates before, right?”

_What is happening? She sounds...happy? Lena’s...happy?_

It was like his entire day had just been ruined. He had been enjoying Lena’s misery. Lena had been having a _terrible_ morning. She had been teetering on the edge of her sanity, practically ripping her own hair out. How was she so happy all of a sudden?

“Pick you up at 8?”

No. This wouldn’t do. Everything had been going so well. There had to be _something_ he could do to salvage his day.

He watched Sam walk out of the office; a small smile on her lips and a slight bounce to her step.

He got an idea.


	35. Chapter 35

Sam had been a bit of a wreck all morning. I mean, she was always a wreck, but today she was an excited; nervous, wreck. Because today was the day she was going to ask Lena out.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” A man had called after her, as she had accidentally knocked over a rather large stack of papers from his desk, as she had rushed past; sending the pages flying in every which direction.

“Sorry!” She called back sheepishly, not having time to stop.

Logically, she knew she was being silly. After all, Lena had been the one to suggest they forgo their original rules to start with. And they had already been on hundreds of dates before. She shouldn’t have had anything to worry about. But just in case, she had boughten Lena an extra coffee.

It had been the right call.

“Whoa, what happened to _you_?” She had asked upon entering the Luthor’s office. Lena looked vaguely like she might have gotten run over by a bus that morning.

“Ugh, _life. Life_ happened to me.”

Lena had looked quite exhausted; though not nearly as much so after having downed her first coffee. Actually, by the end of their conversation, she had started to look a bit more like herself. Happier. Less like a dead person.

“Pick you up at 8?”

Lena smirked, reaching for her second cup of coffee. “Can’t wait.”

Sam wanted to squeal with excitement.

She walked back down to the lobby with an obvious bounce to her step. She felt like skipping. She had almost reached the front door, when suddenly someone had grabbed her arm out of nowhere, holding her in place.

“Hey.”

She turned towards the person who had grabbed her, only to find she had been stopped by none other than Mon-El.

Panic suddenly began to course through her veins. She had never actually officially met Mon-El before. She had seen him countless times around the office, and of course Lena had told her all about him. But she had never actually spoken to him before. But from what Lena had told her, Mon-El was someone you didn’t particularly want to hang around. Sam didn’t respond; simply staring at him.

“She doesn’t really love you, you know.” Mon-El says eventually.

Sam blinked; confused. This clearly not being where she had been expecting this conversation to go. “What?”

“Lena.” He clarified. “She’s in love with someone else.” He says. “She doesn’t really love you.”

Sam looked him up and down before forcefully yanking her arm out of his grasp. “Get away from me.”

She quickly made her way towards the exit; eager to put some space between herself and Mon-El. She was grateful he at least didn’t try to follow her. But as she got outside, she couldn’t help but think about what he had said.

_He means Kara..._

She knew Lena had said she couldn’t wait for their date that night. And it had been the Luthor’s idea in the first place to forgo their rules. But she couldn’t help but think...

_Does Lena still have feelings for Kara...?_


	36. Chapter 36

The rest of Lena’s day had been a bit of a disaster. So far, Sam’s little visit had been the one spot of sunshine in her otherwise horrible day. People had been pulling her left, right, and centre all afternoon, and by lunch time, she was on her last nerve.

Sam had managed to pacify her for a brief period of time; and the Luthor was sure if Sam had not made her little visit, she would have lost it ages ago. But as it was, it had only delayed the inevitable, and she was at her wits end.

By the lunch hour, she had begun to feel her sanity slowly slipping away, and so had decided she had earned herself at least a small break. She was just standing in line at Noonans to get a cup of coffee, when who should walk into the cafe but none other than Mon-El.

With Kara.

She could already feel her blood begin to boil when he had smirked upon laying eyes on her. She could practically feel the artery pulsing in her temple. She was not in the mood for this.

_I swear to god...if he says one word..._

“Lena! Hey!” Kara’s eyes lit up upon laying eyes on the Luthor. Lena did her best to smile back.

“Kara! What a surprise!”

“Hey, are you ok? You sound kind of tired.”

Lena winced, doing her best to make herself sound a little more chipper. “Yeah. Just been a bit busy today is all.” She says. “On your lunch break I see.”

“Yeah. This place is so convenient. It’s right across the street. Plus, Noonans has the best sandwiches in the city, so, bonus.” She winks. Lena does smile a little at that.

She was just starting to think that maybe she was going to get through this interaction without Mon-El pestering her, when he suddenly leaned over and whispered in her ear.

“You’ll never guess what I did with Kara last night.”

That did it. She snapped.

“Kara, there’s something I have to tell yo-“

“Hey! Mon-El!” Lena was suddenly interrupted. All parties turned to see none other than the same woman she had seen with Mon-El that night at the restaurant. Only, she was accompanied by another man. Her eyes went wide.

“Found yourself another girl to whore out?” The woman walked towards them, looking Kara up and down judgementally. “Well, you sure know how to pick the pretty ones don’t you.”

Lena gritted her teeth together, while Kara simply gaped; opening and closing her mouth like a fish, as if not sure how to respond to that.

“Well, you’re one to talk.” Her partner chimed in. “You’re just as big of a slut as him.”

The woman shrugged. “Guilty. What can I say, I like my men.” She glanced at Kara again. “Although, if they keep making em as pretty as you, I might need to make an exception.” She eyeballed Kara up and down, as if inspecting her. “What do you say, Mon-El? Let me borrow her for an evening?”

That was when Kara seemed to have finally regained her voice.

“I’m...sorry?”

The woman turned to look at her again.

“Listen, Doll, you seem nice, so let me give you some advice.” She gestures to Mon-El. “He’s nothing but a big slut that loves women. I’d be careful if I were you.”

Kara blinked owlishly. “What? No. That’s not true at all.”

The woman scoffs at that. “Listen, if you don’t believe me, you can even ask your friend there.” She gestures to Lena, who has a brief moment of panic. “She knows. She saw us at the restaurant that night.” The woman says, before waltzing away towards the exit.

Kara turns to look at her. “Lena? What is she-“

“Kara.” She interrupts, clenching her fists at her sides, taking a deep breath. She squints her eyes shut before opening them. “It’s true.” Mon-El snaps his head around to look at her.

Kara’s eyes widened. “What are you saying?”

She takes another deep breath. “It’s true.” She says again. “All of it. I saw them together at a restaurant. He’s been with other girls, and he’s been pretending to like you because he wants to sleep with you.” Kara blinks.

“The truth is, Mon-El is a massive asshole and he’s been blackmailing me from telling you the truth for weeks. I knew. I didn’t tell you because he threatened me. He threatened to tell you something that I was worried would destroy our friendship forever. But I was wrong to keep it from you, and I’m so sorry that I put my own feeling ahead of yours. I was selfish, and stupid, and I was a really crappy friend, but I’m done lying. All I can do now is say I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”

Everyone was silent for a long moment; processing everything that had just been said. It was Mon-El who had finally broken the silence.

“Kara, you don’t really believe-“

_** SLAP ** _

Kara slapped him clean across the face. Lena’s jaw dropped. Mon-El froze, completely stunned.

Kara glared at him. “I want you to turn around and walk away. And I want to never see you again.” She says.

“Kara-“

“No. Just, you know what? I don’t want to hear it. You used me. You played with my emotions like they were some toy. How could you do that to me? _Why_ would you do that to me?”

Mon-El opening his mouth as if to respond, but Kara silenced him again.

“You know what? No. You don’t get to speak. You don’t get to explain yourself. You don’t deserve it. Did you really think I would believe you over her? Tell me, how does it feel to play with peoples emotions? Is it fun? Did you enjoy it?”

Mon-El looked at Lena, then back to Kara; at least trying to drag her down with him. “Kara, Lena is-“

“Shh. Just stop.” She interrupted him again. “Whatever it is, I don’t care. Do you really think I am going to believe any word that comes out of your mouth at this point anyway? And I am not going to let you hurt anyone else.” His mouth snapped shut.

“Oh, and another thing. Don’t you ever threaten my friends again. Understood?”

Lena looked at her in astonishment.  

_Friends? She still wanted to be friends?_

Mon-El gritted his teeth together. Kara turned to look at Lena.

“Anything you wish to add? I’ve kind of done all the yelling. I’m sure there’s plenty you’d like to say to him as well.” Lena blinked, but then smirked.

“Yes, actually.” She takes a step towards him. “Since you no longer hold anything over me, there is no reason for me to continue to keep you around.” She smirks. “Mon-El, it is with great pleasure that I inform you. You. Are. _Fired_.” She raises an eyebrow. “And I will personally see to it that you never work for any reporting company ever again.”

Kara looked like she almost smiled at that. “You heard the boss. Now I want you to leave, and I never want to see you again.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Mon-El turned and walked out of the building without another word. Kara turned to Lena.

“Hey, are you ok?”

Lena blinked. “Me? Are _you_ ok?”

Kara sighed, glancing at her feet. “Yeah...I mean, I will be.” She looks up at her. “You tried to tell me earlier, didn’t you.”

Lena shuffled her feet nervously; glancing at a spot on the floor. “Yeah...I was going to, but I guess she kind of beat me to it...I’m so sorry it took me so long to tell you. I understand if you hate me and never want to see me again...” She felt tears begin to prick her eyes. Kara smiled, reaching an arm forwards to cup her cheek in her hand.

“I could never hate you.” She brushes away a tear with her thumb. “You were scared. Everyone gets scared sometimes.”

Lena glanced at her feet again; shuffling nervously. “Kara, about that thing Mon-El was going to tell you about me-“

Kara silenced her by placing a finger against the Luthor’s lips. “It’s ok. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. It’s your secret, not mine. I would never force you to tell me something you didn’t want to. It’s your secret to tell. But, only if you want to.”

Lena felt another tear slide down her cheek. She smiled lightly. “Thank you, Kara.”


End file.
